Naples, Fla.-based Seaside Surgery Center Administrator Cindy Schuetz told Becker's ASC Review what has made her center so successful and how other ASCs can follow its lead.
Note: Responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Question: Does your center have any unique, successful strategies that you can share with other centers?
Cindy Schuetz: Our center is specifically orthopedic, podiatry and pain management. The addition of spine would be nice, but I believe keeping our center focused on those specific specialties has been beneficial for several reasons. It helps control expenses by not having to have so much different equipment for varied specialties. Storage space is always an issue in surgery centers, so that helps also. Staff becomes expert in the limited specialties and know the world of orthopedics and podiatry inside and out and can then be better armed to assist the surgeon.
Q: Could you share the process behind how you added total joints to your center and what benefits you've seen from it?
CS: Our center has been in operation for three years and we started with total joints in our center. Our first week open, we did several. It was planned as one of the ways to make our surgery center unique as no one else here in our community does outpatient [total joint replacements]. Three years later and we're still the only ones doing them. We do [unicompartmental knee replacement], Mako [unicompartmental knee replacement], total knees, anterior total hips and total shoulders. What we have seen most from doing totals is that our patients return for other surgeries they may need after having their total done. One patient had a total hip [and then] came the next year for a carpal tunnel. They know the center, know the staff, know the physician, and they return to a familiar place they trust.
Q: In an environment where patients have more choice than ever before, what is your center doing differently to appeal to patients?
CS: As stated above, the fact that we do total joints as outpatient is different here and sets us apart from other centers. This may be unique to our area. Our staff make our center. They own the center in that they take great pride in all they do and take true ownership of our center and all it entails. They truly love to come to work, and it shows to our patients.
Many of our patients almost become part of our Seaside family. It is a very unique group of special employees who take extra special care of our patients. It truly is a unique place to work. Even surgeons who come here for the first time comment on the teamwork and closeness of our staff. That attitude permeates all we do.