According to Beverly Kirchner, owner and CEO of Genessee Associates, ASCs are required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track patients for infections until a full year after surgery. "The process is time-consuming, potentially paper intensive and requires a lot of planning," she says. Many ASCs may find themselves struggling to fulfill this requirement when staff members are already over-booked and financial resources don't allow the ASC to hire another FTE. In this case, Ms. Kirchner says her ASC has improved patient tracking by purchasing software that gives the center names of patients and patient demographics when staff members input certain parameters, such as the date of surgery.
"The software also helps us find recalled implants and tissue quickly," she says. "It also helps us in billing to make sure we have captured a charge on every implant used, [and] the billing staff and business manager love this feature because the software has all the data, such as serial number and cost."
Ms. Kirchner says her infection control plan states the ASC will track implant patients initially at 31-45 days after surgery through the surgeon, then quarterly thereafter through the patient. The software enables the staff to track all implant patients for a year after surgery and determine which method the ASC should use to follow up.
Learn more about Genessee Associates.
"The software also helps us find recalled implants and tissue quickly," she says. "It also helps us in billing to make sure we have captured a charge on every implant used, [and] the billing staff and business manager love this feature because the software has all the data, such as serial number and cost."
Ms. Kirchner says her infection control plan states the ASC will track implant patients initially at 31-45 days after surgery through the surgeon, then quarterly thereafter through the patient. The software enables the staff to track all implant patients for a year after surgery and determine which method the ASC should use to follow up.
Learn more about Genessee Associates.
