Running an ASC amid the COVID-19 pandemic comes with no shortage of challenges. Leasa Hermanson, MSN, RN, administrator of Vineland, N.J.-based Ambulatory Care Center, said her physician-owned center could be forced to partner with a larger entity if recruiting challenges persist.
This is an edited transcript. Download the full podcast episode here.
Question: When you think about your surgery center's potential growth, what comes to mind?
Leasa Hermanson: We're in a really precarious position here in our area. We have one hospital system and it's sort of a monopolistic environment. So we've had some real challenges with the restrictive covenants and recruiting physicians, because a lot of the new doctors are looking toward the bigger groups and looking toward the hospitals. ... So I think in the future — like I said, we're one of the few physician-owned centers that are left around — I would not be surprised if we decided to partner with a larger entity, as many surgical centers have had to do. It is only because of our board of directors and their efficiencies, looking for every way to staff and finance things creatively, that we are able to manage without having a managing partner or working with a hospital system.