Administrator to Know: Laura Baxley Millard of Vail Valley Surgerty Center

Laura Baxley Millard, RN, BS, CPHQ (Vail Valley Surgery Center, Vail, Colo.). Ms. Millard is the administrator of the Vail Valley Surgery Center in Vail, Colo., a multi-specialty surgery center which performs mostly orthopedics procedures. The center, which opened in 2002, treats "some of the world's top athletes" in its four operating rooms, according to Ms. Millard.

Ms. Millard has been at Vail Valley since Jan. 2006. In her 25 years in the healthcare industry, she has served as the CEO of a surgical hospital, administrator at another ASC, a government auditor and a critical care nurse. She has also held leadership positions in the insurance industry.

At Vail Valley, Ms. Millard has worked hard to improve staff recruitment and retention, and undertake new projects to improve the efficiency of the ASC. She recently led an initiative to convert monitors to high definition within the center, and developed a program to significantly enhance block utilization and case volume. Additionally, she has facilitated significant improvements to the revenue cycle. Coming up with these solutions is one part of her job that she enjoys. "I love the constant challenge to improve in all areas — clinically, operationally and financially," she says.

Another aspect of her job that Ms. Millard enjoys is the opportunity she gets to work with "world-renowned surgeons who are continuously on the cutting edge," she says. "The expectations are extremely high, but the rewards are absolutely worth it."

Ms. Millard sees continued expansion and success for her center. "In spite of the current economic challenges, the center is continuing to experience growth in surgical volume," she says.

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