Casetabs is bringing cloud-based collaboration technology to the surgery center space, and at its helm is CEO Gavin Fabian helping surgery centers elevate their customer experience to the next level.
Becker's ASC Review spoke with Mr. Fabian about ASC-related technology and about the next big tech trends.
Question: What do you anticipate will be the next big tech trend in the ASC space in the next 5 years?
Gavin Fabian: First, a growing number of surgeries will migrate from inpatient to outpatient settings. Two factors will drive the change, influenced by payer reimbursement incentives and acceptance that more indications are safe to treat in ambulatory surgery centers.
Second, the centers that are easiest to work with will see their case volumes increase more rapidly. When centers make their schedules more accessible to physicians and their practice staff, including the ability to schedule cases similar to the way we now book flights on platforms like Expedia, those centers will become preferred locations to work with.
Q: It seems over the last couple of years, the use of electronic scheduling and screen-based patient status monitoring systems have really begun to infiltrate the surgery center space. Do you expect that trend to continue?
GF: Yes. I often say there is more sophistication and tracking when I order a sandwich from Jimmy John's. They know my past orders and can expedite the ordering process, and I can track my sandwich to completion and choose how I want it delivered. Patients and physicians will come to expect these helpful tools to make their care more efficient, easier and safer.
Q: What are the quintessential pieces of technology every ASC in America needs?
GF: From a software perspective, every ASC needs an effective billing solution to make sure they get optimal and timely payments. After that, I believe every ASC needs a collaborative scheduling app.
I say "collaborative" because a schedule that can't be shared and used for care coordination has minimal value. Centers need to be able to selectively share their schedule and coordinate everyone involved in the case, including the physician offices, anesthesia groups, vendor reps, clinical staff and the office staff.
Implementing a collaborative scheduling platform, at least in our experience [at] Casetabs, has shown to increase case volume, save time and reduce communication-related errors.
Q: What do you think the ASC industry isn't talking about in terms of technology that they should be?
GF: From my own perspective, every ASC should be talking about which collaborative scheduling platform they should implement.
However, I also believe ASCs should be forward thinking from a technology perspective because it's essential in order to stay competitive with the big university hospitals and health systems. There are exciting technologies that can help improve efficiency and safety in surgery centers, including RFID tracking of patients, integrated voice commands using Amazon Alexa, and augmented reality using Google Glass.