Dianne Wallace, executive director of Menomonee Falls (Wis.) Ambulatory Surgery Center, discusses three ways the surgery center has expanded the GI specialty at its multi-specialty ASC.
1. Separate the patient flows of the GI specialty. Although many multi-specialty ASCs initially integrate GI patients with the general population, Ms. Wallace says over time the GI patients will need a separate admitting and discharge area because GI procedure times are much shorter compared to other specialties.
"As we grew the GI specialty, we realized admitting GI patients with the general population was going to compromise the quality of care and patient satisfaction," Ms. Wallace says. "GI cases can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes, and recovery is approximately 45 minutes. Other procedures, such as gynecology, orthopedic or podiatry, can be as long as one hour, with recovery being as long as 1-2 hours. Those cases take much longer to perform and recover from than a colonoscopy and EGD, which are the two main procedures for GI.
The discrepancy in the time it takes to perform GI procedures opposed to other specialties ultimately will affect throughput and efficiency.
If GI patients are filling up beds, you can't be as efficient, so you have to recognize that as volume increases, you have to separate the GI cases so they can operate all by itself," she adds.
2. Recruit the best GI specialists. Successfully recruiting GI specialists is critical to expanding the GI specialty, as the addition of quality GI physicians means the addition of new patients. Ms. Wallace says this can be done by actively marketing a facility's state-of-the-art equipment and demonstrating a competent staff who can assist physicians.
"ASCs will have to sell themselves based on the quality of their equipment and whether they have a skilled staff who understands GI," Ms. Wallace says. "Physicians are going to look to see who provides the best quality care and has the best staff and equipment, like scopes and video equipment for GI procedures. ASCs have to prove to physicians it is worth their while to join their facility."
3. Cross-train staff to maximize efficiency and case volume. Ms. Wallace says cross-training staff ensures maximum efficiency so staff members can rise to the occasion if another colleague is out sick. Additionally, Menomonee Surgery ASC has a "swing room," which serves to keep patients continuously flowing through the surgery center.
"We cross-train our staff to work in the admitting area and procedure room, so in case we have a staff member who is ill, we can adjust accordingly because the staff is trained to step in and do the job," Ms. Wallace says. "Also, we have four large procedure rooms, but one is always unscheduled to keep as a swing room. The swing room is always open for the next available doctor and procedure. Having that extra room to move the next patient and keep physicians moving along minimizes down time."
Learn more about Menomonee Falls Ambulatory Surgery Center.
1. Separate the patient flows of the GI specialty. Although many multi-specialty ASCs initially integrate GI patients with the general population, Ms. Wallace says over time the GI patients will need a separate admitting and discharge area because GI procedure times are much shorter compared to other specialties.
"As we grew the GI specialty, we realized admitting GI patients with the general population was going to compromise the quality of care and patient satisfaction," Ms. Wallace says. "GI cases can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes, and recovery is approximately 45 minutes. Other procedures, such as gynecology, orthopedic or podiatry, can be as long as one hour, with recovery being as long as 1-2 hours. Those cases take much longer to perform and recover from than a colonoscopy and EGD, which are the two main procedures for GI.
The discrepancy in the time it takes to perform GI procedures opposed to other specialties ultimately will affect throughput and efficiency.
If GI patients are filling up beds, you can't be as efficient, so you have to recognize that as volume increases, you have to separate the GI cases so they can operate all by itself," she adds.
2. Recruit the best GI specialists. Successfully recruiting GI specialists is critical to expanding the GI specialty, as the addition of quality GI physicians means the addition of new patients. Ms. Wallace says this can be done by actively marketing a facility's state-of-the-art equipment and demonstrating a competent staff who can assist physicians.
"ASCs will have to sell themselves based on the quality of their equipment and whether they have a skilled staff who understands GI," Ms. Wallace says. "Physicians are going to look to see who provides the best quality care and has the best staff and equipment, like scopes and video equipment for GI procedures. ASCs have to prove to physicians it is worth their while to join their facility."
3. Cross-train staff to maximize efficiency and case volume. Ms. Wallace says cross-training staff ensures maximum efficiency so staff members can rise to the occasion if another colleague is out sick. Additionally, Menomonee Surgery ASC has a "swing room," which serves to keep patients continuously flowing through the surgery center.
"We cross-train our staff to work in the admitting area and procedure room, so in case we have a staff member who is ill, we can adjust accordingly because the staff is trained to step in and do the job," Ms. Wallace says. "Also, we have four large procedure rooms, but one is always unscheduled to keep as a swing room. The swing room is always open for the next available doctor and procedure. Having that extra room to move the next patient and keep physicians moving along minimizes down time."
Learn more about Menomonee Falls Ambulatory Surgery Center.