Sandy Berreth, RN, of Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Foothill Surgery Center at Sansum Clinic, has 20 years of experience as an ASC administrator. Here are her top seven tips for ASC leaders from the Certified Administrator Surgery Center.
1. Know you don't know it all.
Surgery center administrators make mistakes. Keep moving forward using the same strategies that made you a leader in the first place.
2. Find a mentor.
Conference speakers have been in your shoes before, and they can provide insight on unfamiliar topics. "Find a speaker that you enjoyed, stay in touch, be a pest," Ms. Berreth said.
3. Take notes and cut out articles.
Use articles and speaker notes you've gathered to defend your stance or beliefs during topic discussions.
4. Set practical goals.
Develop an attainable goal, such as making the surgery center profitable, then determine what needs to be done to achieve that basic goal. For example, an ASC needs commitment to volume, good payer contracts and benchmarking to achieve the goal of becoming profitable.
5. Understand accreditation standards.
A valuable resource is Appendix L, also known as the State Operations Manual Appendix L – Guidance for Surveyors: Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Use the standards to develop a governing board agenda.
https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_l_ambulatory.pdf
6. Mentor, encourage and support.
Use your strengths to identify your staff's strengths, and inspire them to achieve goals. "Build trust, let other know you are on their side, correct mistakes, but remember to do it with calmly and without anger," Ms. Berreth said.
7. Treat staff with respect.
Staff is an ASC's most valuable asset and should be treated as such.