At the 18th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference in Chicago on Oct. 27, President and Chief Development Officer of Meridian Surgical Partners Kenny Hancock gave a presentation titled "Developing a Spine Driven ASC: the Essentials for Success."
Mr. Hancock discussed several trends to support growth in the emerging trend of bringing spine cases to the outpatient surgery center: patients are looking for less invasive spine surgery, technology will support these new procedures, payors are looking for ways to lower the cost of healthcare and the emergence of the Society for Ambulatory Spine Surgery.
From an operational perspective, he discussed three challenges for bringing spine to ASCs:
• Achieving reimbursement for the work done
• Covering costs for implants, equipment and staffing
• Finding surgeons with the right mindset
"It's really important to have staff members who are experienced with spine surgery at the ASC and surgeons can make sure that's the case," said Mr. Hancock. "Additionally, if you don't have surgeons with the right mindset who is comfortable moving spine to an outpatient setting, you are wasting your time."
Additional key aspects of successful spine surgery in the ASC is patient selection and education. Educate patients on their procedures and postoperative care, but also discuss surgery center expectations with them. Make sure they know they'll be going home within hours of their procedure and help them feel comfortable with their postoperative therapy.
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Mr. Hancock discussed several trends to support growth in the emerging trend of bringing spine cases to the outpatient surgery center: patients are looking for less invasive spine surgery, technology will support these new procedures, payors are looking for ways to lower the cost of healthcare and the emergence of the Society for Ambulatory Spine Surgery.
From an operational perspective, he discussed three challenges for bringing spine to ASCs:
• Achieving reimbursement for the work done
• Covering costs for implants, equipment and staffing
• Finding surgeons with the right mindset
"It's really important to have staff members who are experienced with spine surgery at the ASC and surgeons can make sure that's the case," said Mr. Hancock. "Additionally, if you don't have surgeons with the right mindset who is comfortable moving spine to an outpatient setting, you are wasting your time."
Additional key aspects of successful spine surgery in the ASC is patient selection and education. Educate patients on their procedures and postoperative care, but also discuss surgery center expectations with them. Make sure they know they'll be going home within hours of their procedure and help them feel comfortable with their postoperative therapy.
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