Kathy Grichnik, MD, Surgical Care Affiliates' chief of anesthesia services, joined Becker's ASC Review to discuss major growth opportunities for ASCs this year.
Editor's note: This response was edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
Where are ASCs biggest opportunities for growth in 2022?
Dr. Kathy Grichnik: The shift of high-acuity cases to the ASC setting across many specialties is a significant opportunity for growth, as value-based care models become more available. It’s a trend we’ve been experiencing over the last few years that will only accelerate in 2022 and beyond. As an industry, we must be prepared to meet the growing needs of patients and physicians.
A key to success is realizing the benefits of being part of a larger integrated care delivery system as well as the vital alignment of specialists, anesthesiologists and facilities to give communities increased access to care with a focus on high-quality outcomes and a better experience for patients and providers, all at a lower total cost of care.
Another opportunity we identified is high-quality and value-oriented anesthesiology groups. Last year I joined Surgical Care Affiliates as its first chief of anesthesia services to organize SCA anesthesia services. We know that anesthesia services are a critical component of the outpatient experience to support the growing shift of higher acuity cases to ASCs. Anesthesiology is also a key contributor to delivering consistent and exceptional care — from preoperative assessment, optimization and preparation to optimizing pain management through the recovery period — through unified protocols and quality standards.
To facilitate support for physicians in various aspects of patient care, SCA has evolved beyond its core ASC business to enhance sustainability of physician practices, invest in their future and create pathways to innovative and value-oriented providers and payers. While shifting cases from higher cost settings to ASCs remains one of the biggest opportunities to maintain quality outcomes and reduce the total cost of care, there is so much more opportunity to enhance outcomes beyond affordability.