Here are five best practices for significantly increasing profits at your orthopedic-driven ambulatory surgery center.
1. Hire and maintain a strong team of orthopedic physicians. The ASC market has boomed tremendously since the first ASC was established more than 30 years ago, and because of that, ASCs must work harder than ever to maintain a competitive edge in their communities. One way to do this is form a strong and reputable team of orthopedic physicians and staff members who can collectively achieve excellent clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and high throughput. David Ott, MD, founder of Gateway Surgery Center in Phoenix, Ariz., says ASCs should turn to their own physicians in reaching out to other community physicians who can bring more cases and their great reputation to the facility. Physicians and staff members are also retained by distributing bonuses for great performance.
From: Giving Your Orthopedic-Driven ASC the Competitive Edge: Q&A With Dr. David Ott of Gateway Surgery Center
2. Be creative in contract negotiations. Rather than defaulting to a traditional "buy-and-sell" contract, orthopedic-driven ASCs should work diligently to iron out a contract that can provide added benefits. Creative contracting can be achieved in a variety of ways, including extended warranties, free training or free supplement equipment. This is a strategic way to keep costs of orthopedic supplies down, especially in situations where suppliers are vying for your facility's business.
"It can be something as simple as receiving free accompanying equipment with a big purchase of the supplier's orthopedic devices, such as implantable screws," says Elaine Thomas, administrator at St. Francis Mooresville (Ind.) Surgery Center. "Orthopedic suppliers are trying to help surgery centers keep the costs down [in order to lock in those business deals], so there is definitely the possibility of ASCs getting into some more creative financing."
From: Practical Guidance for Containing Orthopedic Device Costs
3. Increase spine case volume. Incorporating spine procedures has been a strategy to increasing profits at orthopedic-driven ASCs. One way to increase spine case volume is to build a team of excellent clinical staff support. Melody Winter-Jabeck, administrator at Ravine Way Surgery Center in Glenview, Ill., says building a team of staff members with excellent expertise is another way to bring additional spine surgeons on board as well as ensure an optimal clinical experience for the spine surgeons, thereby maintaining physician satisfaction and their spine cases.
"[Spine surgeons] want to know that they are working with very experienced staff members so in case there is a complication or something doesn't go as planned with a certain spine procedure, the team is well-equipped to handle it," she says. "The key roles that are importing to building this support team are the clinical director and nurses who would be working in the OR and post-operative areas."
From: 3 Ways Ravine Way Surgery Center Increased Spine Case Volume
4. Improve workflow by focusing on specific procedures. Successful orthopedic and spine practices should consider focusing on specific types of procedures, rather than try to offer everything, to eliminate distractions and make sure the institution runs effectively, says John Grossmith, MD, a board certified neurosurgeon at The Bonati Spine Institute in Hudson, Fla. A focused facility has a specific workflow to keep the patients moving through the pre-, intra-, and postoperative process. At The Bonati Spine Institute, the spine surgeons only perform minimally invasive endoscopic laser spine surgery involving the thoracic, lumbar and cervical spine. The surgeons and medical staff have extensive experience treating patients undergoing these specific procedures, therefore the process is able to run smoothly, says Dr. Grossmith.
From: 7 Key Elements for Achieving High Patient Satisfaction and Better Outcomes in Orthopedic and Spine Surgery
5. Install technology. There are many ways ASCs can adopt technology to cut costs and generate more revenue. Midlands Orthopaedics Surgery Center in Columbia, S.C. is pursuing implementation of new software as part of a facility-wide goal to improve scheduling and case costing. The software will allow the surgery center to better measure cost per CPT and per surgeon. Now only is this information valuable for insurance contracting, but it is useful to influence physician behavior.
"We will be able to evaluate the supply and staffing cost for each case per CPT code. Even if the same CPT code is performed by different surgeons, there can be significantly different cost outcomes. So there's a benefit in showing and knowing what particular procedures are costing you on average," says Ann Margaret McCraw, CEO. "And if you have a surgeon who is an outlier, the data may encourage him to consider different techniques or supplies without compromising quality."
From: 6 Ways to Increase Profitability of Your Orthopedic-Driven ASC
1. Hire and maintain a strong team of orthopedic physicians. The ASC market has boomed tremendously since the first ASC was established more than 30 years ago, and because of that, ASCs must work harder than ever to maintain a competitive edge in their communities. One way to do this is form a strong and reputable team of orthopedic physicians and staff members who can collectively achieve excellent clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and high throughput. David Ott, MD, founder of Gateway Surgery Center in Phoenix, Ariz., says ASCs should turn to their own physicians in reaching out to other community physicians who can bring more cases and their great reputation to the facility. Physicians and staff members are also retained by distributing bonuses for great performance.
From: Giving Your Orthopedic-Driven ASC the Competitive Edge: Q&A With Dr. David Ott of Gateway Surgery Center
2. Be creative in contract negotiations. Rather than defaulting to a traditional "buy-and-sell" contract, orthopedic-driven ASCs should work diligently to iron out a contract that can provide added benefits. Creative contracting can be achieved in a variety of ways, including extended warranties, free training or free supplement equipment. This is a strategic way to keep costs of orthopedic supplies down, especially in situations where suppliers are vying for your facility's business.
"It can be something as simple as receiving free accompanying equipment with a big purchase of the supplier's orthopedic devices, such as implantable screws," says Elaine Thomas, administrator at St. Francis Mooresville (Ind.) Surgery Center. "Orthopedic suppliers are trying to help surgery centers keep the costs down [in order to lock in those business deals], so there is definitely the possibility of ASCs getting into some more creative financing."
From: Practical Guidance for Containing Orthopedic Device Costs
3. Increase spine case volume. Incorporating spine procedures has been a strategy to increasing profits at orthopedic-driven ASCs. One way to increase spine case volume is to build a team of excellent clinical staff support. Melody Winter-Jabeck, administrator at Ravine Way Surgery Center in Glenview, Ill., says building a team of staff members with excellent expertise is another way to bring additional spine surgeons on board as well as ensure an optimal clinical experience for the spine surgeons, thereby maintaining physician satisfaction and their spine cases.
"[Spine surgeons] want to know that they are working with very experienced staff members so in case there is a complication or something doesn't go as planned with a certain spine procedure, the team is well-equipped to handle it," she says. "The key roles that are importing to building this support team are the clinical director and nurses who would be working in the OR and post-operative areas."
From: 3 Ways Ravine Way Surgery Center Increased Spine Case Volume
4. Improve workflow by focusing on specific procedures. Successful orthopedic and spine practices should consider focusing on specific types of procedures, rather than try to offer everything, to eliminate distractions and make sure the institution runs effectively, says John Grossmith, MD, a board certified neurosurgeon at The Bonati Spine Institute in Hudson, Fla. A focused facility has a specific workflow to keep the patients moving through the pre-, intra-, and postoperative process. At The Bonati Spine Institute, the spine surgeons only perform minimally invasive endoscopic laser spine surgery involving the thoracic, lumbar and cervical spine. The surgeons and medical staff have extensive experience treating patients undergoing these specific procedures, therefore the process is able to run smoothly, says Dr. Grossmith.
From: 7 Key Elements for Achieving High Patient Satisfaction and Better Outcomes in Orthopedic and Spine Surgery
5. Install technology. There are many ways ASCs can adopt technology to cut costs and generate more revenue. Midlands Orthopaedics Surgery Center in Columbia, S.C. is pursuing implementation of new software as part of a facility-wide goal to improve scheduling and case costing. The software will allow the surgery center to better measure cost per CPT and per surgeon. Now only is this information valuable for insurance contracting, but it is useful to influence physician behavior.
"We will be able to evaluate the supply and staffing cost for each case per CPT code. Even if the same CPT code is performed by different surgeons, there can be significantly different cost outcomes. So there's a benefit in showing and knowing what particular procedures are costing you on average," says Ann Margaret McCraw, CEO. "And if you have a surgeon who is an outlier, the data may encourage him to consider different techniques or supplies without compromising quality."
From: 6 Ways to Increase Profitability of Your Orthopedic-Driven ASC