Administrator to Know: T. Taylor Burnett of The Plastic Surgical Center of Mississippi

T. Taylor Burnett (The Plastic Surgical Center of Mississippi, Flowood, Miss.). Ms. Burnett is CEO of The Plastic Surgical Center of Mississippi, a physician-owned surgery center that opened after the surgeons were "tired of long wait times and less than perfect outcomes in the hospitals where they were working," according to Ms. Burnett. The eight plastic surgeons and one orthopedic hand surgeon on staff focus on surgical reconstruction, hand surgery, cosmetic surgery and pediatric care including treatment for trauma, lesions, hemangiomas and syndactaly. Surgeons also treat patients for skin cancer, various hand chronic and acute conditions and joint replacement. The center's nursing staff are all ACLS and PALS trained with five American Heart Instructors on staff. The center includes five surgical suites, three special procedure rooms, four overnight rooms and eight recovery stations. Surgeons perform around 12,000 cases annually.

Ms. Burnett has been with The Plastic Surgical Center since it opened in August 2003. She started her career as a marketing major and worked as a production assistant for film and ran the office of her family’s business. She later pursued a career in nursing and worked PRN in at her local hospital. Ms. Burnett then took a position on the outpatient surgery floor where she fell in love with surgery and worked her way up to outpatient surgery manager, and from there, to the director for surgical services. After a move, she gained her first ASC experience as the pre-op and PACU manager in an outpatient facility. Over time, she became director of nursing and then followed her surgeons to open their own facility.

The Plastic Surgical Center's strong team approach has contributed to its success, according to Ms. Burnett. "Everyone is vital to the team, and their jobs are equally as important to the patients' visit. With that in mind, all staff members are incentivized by an annual profit sharing bonus. The OR staff, front office, billers and everyone in between equally share," she says. "Our surgeons also buy in to the team approach and are always willing to praise staff and offer a 'good job' and 'thank you!'" Because of this approach, Ms. Burnett has seen low turnover at her center.

Ms. Burnett also notes that each staff member is given the ability to "make it right" with any patient. She says, "If there is an issue or problem, then they are to do whatever is within their power to fix it. Rarely do these minor problems pass the first staff member, as they take ownership of fixing these problems. We are extremely proud of our staff."

The quality and efficiency of the ASC setting are Ms. Burnett's favorite aspects of being an administrator. "I love my job and love being able to effectively bring about change and have excellent patient outcomes. The cherry on top is satisfied staff and surgeons that are home with their families in time to help with homework or coach their child's team," she says.

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