ASCs will "lose their edge" if they forget that surgeons are their true customers, according to Ron Blair, chair of Mesa, Ariz.-based Surgery Center Services of America.
Mr. Blair has been developing ASCs since 1990. Surgery Center Services of America has plans to open 14 more ASCs this year and has developed more than 300 centers nationwide.
He spoke to Becker's ASC Review about what he considers to be the biggest challenge for growing ASCs.
Editor's Note: This response was edited lightly for clarity.
Question: What's the biggest challenge for growing ASCs?
Ron Blair: I think the biggest challenge longterm is maintaining accessibility to the payer panels. I can foresee payers using the proliferation of ASCs as leverage to reduce or at least maintain reimbursement levels without providing any increase to cover costs. That probably is the biggest risk to surgery centers.
Also, when you're running these surgery centers, you can never forget who your customers are. In an ASC, your customers are the surgeons. The surgeons bring the patients, because they're his or her patients. You've got to treat these doctors right, and you have to take care of the patients.
If you deviate from that mission, you're going to suffer, you're not going to be competitive and you're going to lose your edge. There's going to be another surgery center down the road that's going to be able to take your patients away.