At the Becker's ASC 21st Annual Meeting — The Business and Operations of ASCs, Oct. 23 to 25, in Chicago, Susan Cheek, CPA, CHCC, CASC, administrator at Dallas Endoscopy Center, IV Anesthesia Services; Melodie Garrobo, CASC, administrator of Golden (Colo.) Ridge Surgery Center; and Amit Jiwani, director of analytics at AmKaiSolutions, discussed ambulatory surgery centers leveraging data analytics and some of the challenges they are facing.
Here are four key observations from the panel discussion:
1. The financial and regulatory pressures that acute-care facilities are facing are different from those that ASCs are facing, said Mr. Jiwani, and many ASCs have not fully unlocked the power of data analytics. "The asc market has survived because of operational efficiency, but they haven't started leveraging true data analytics," he said. "They collect the data and measure performance, but many don't use it to keep a continuous pulse check of their business."
2. According to Ms. Garrobo, adding internal resources has helped her center leverage data analytics effectively. Bringing on a person who understands data analytics gives the surgery center the ability to connect the dots and make the changes necessary. "The person handling data analytics needs to know what they are reporting and pulling, and what it all means. Earlier our materials manager used to manage the data analytics piece, but she didn't have the skills to really fully leverage it. So we made a new hire," said Ms. Garrobo.
3. "Our industry is on a frontier of data analytics," said Ms. Cheek. "And we are starting to realize how important it is for efficiency. But first, you need to figure out what metrics you need to keep your finger on to ensure efficiency." At Dallas Endoscopy Center, some of the metrics tracked were drawn from patient satisfaction surveys. For example, the center has implemented a system that lets Ms. Cheek know the patients' financial responsibility before they come to the center, as well as how much was collected by the front desk.
4. Another challenge in leveraging data analytics in the ASC industry has been standardization, or lack thereof, according to Mr. Jiwani. "For example, on-time starts may mean different things in different facilities," he said. "There needs to be an effort toward aligning various industry metrics so that data is actionable and easier to use."