Independent ASCs in western New York stopped competing for volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic and united to help each other thrive, Buffalo Business First reported Feb. 4.
JoAnn Vecchio, administrator of Ambulatory Surgery Center of Western New York in Amherst, said to Buffalo Business First: "It was more or less you stayed in your own lane. Everyone worked independently within their own specialty and their own surgery center parameters. Once this pandemic hit, we were all in this same place."
The centers partnered to allow surgeons from other centers to perform surgeries when elective procedures were banned in Erie County, N.Y., and worked to get staff screened and vaccinated for COVID-19, among other efforts.
The partnerships helped centers develop relationships and standardize processes around COVID-19 testing, supplies and HR sharing.
Patricia Graham, administrator at Endoscopy Center of WNY of Williamsville, N.Y., said, "If we didn't have each other, this would have been a much different road. Yes, they're our competition, but we all have things we may need. It was great to have someone to lean on and share ideas."