Lisa Austin, RN, CASC, vice president of ambulatory surgery center operations for Pinnacle III and president of the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, presented on "What Every Surgeon Should Know: What Really Matters to Your Facility Administrator" at the 9th Annual Orthopedic, Spine and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference in Chicago. During her presentation, she identified the following as 12 keys to better business operations in ASCs which administrators want their physicians to know.
1. Schedule every case, every time at the ASC. "Volume is key," Ms. Austin says. "We have to have those cases. Losing three cases a month can be a make or break for a facility."
2. Provide precise case information on scheduling sheet.
3. Trust the screening process — place the right case, the right patient in the right setting. Administrators want their physicians to trust their ASC's screening process to identify those cases which are more appropriate for a setting other than the surgery center.
4. Conduct a pre-case huddle; convey your treatment plan. "So many people are still having a hard time with the time-out process," especially now with AORN calling for two time-outs, Ms. Austin says. "If everybody is onboard — including anesthesia — and everyone knows what's supposed to happen, the case will go much better."
5. Surrender control; transfer responsibility of case order to the ASC management team. "There are situations we know that it might be better for us to make some changes to that schedule," she says.
6. Dictate operative report on date of service.
7. Complete past medical records on every visit.
8. Conform to standardized product lines and eliminate inventory redundancy.
9. Abide with compliance requirements. "Compliance is key," Ms. Austin says. "It keeps us licensed and certified. It really takes the leadership of the surgeons and then everyone else will follow suit."
10. Befriend OR staff members; express appreciation often. A collegial atmosphere, peer respect and support is very helpful for OR staff members, Ms. Austin says. "We often forget to express that," she says. "Every once in awhile, whether it's through a lunch of just telling them how much [they're appreciated], that goes a long way."
11. Provide leadership with pertinent feedback.
12. Collaborate with ASC personnel; strive for improvement, safety and success. "It's all about communication," Ms. Austin says. "This may sound like a little bit of fluff but that's out whole goal. We want to have a successful ASC and we do that through continuous improvement. If we can't work collaboratively for that improvement, then we can't be successful."
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