At the 21st Annual Becker's ASC Conference in Chicago on Oct. 23, Gregory P. DeConciliis, PA-C, CASC, administrator of Boston Out-Patient Surgical Suites in Waltham, Mass., shared the following five key steps to improving profits in orthopedic-driven ASCs.
- Focus on your surgeons. ASCs require surgeons to be as quick and efficient as possible so utilizing a standardized pre-,day of- and post-surgery routine is crucial. The routine should streamline pre-operative screening programs, ensuring surgery bookings, preparation and paperwork. Mr. DeConciliis also suggested educating surgeons on case costs and educating clinical leaders, staff, other physicians, partners and non-owners alike on various methods of improvement to save money.
- Analyze your equipment, implants and supplies. If your ASC is in need of new equipment, taking advantage of creative purchasing methods such as promotions, rebate programs and fee per disposables programs can yield great results for your bottom line. Consolidating and standardizing instruments and supplies can cut down on wasted time and money. For instance, kits for common surgeries such as shoulder repairs, ACL injuries or arthroscopic procedures are huge time and money savers. If budget allows, investing in an office materials manager is another great way to improve profits.
- Get the most out of your staff. To get the most out of your staff, you want to start with the best staff possible. Therefore, the ASC interview process should not be taken lightly. To begin, you want to look for candidates that truly have orthopedic experience, know all of the industry “buzzwords,” and have great references. Once hired, staff should be educated on efficiency and supply costs, involved in processes and decisions and be allowed to grow. Additionally, Mr. DeConciliis encourages ASC administrators to increase staff bonding by taking them out, rewarding them with random acts of kindness and viewing their staff as their "pit crew."
- Boost your business office. The business office is another area ASCs can boost profits. Making sure dictations are completed and turned around within 24 hours of appointments and renegotiating contracts to get better deals whenever possible is essential. Also, ensuring the business office books realistic appointment times and always strives to accept new cases improves profits.
- Make anesthesia part of the team. Anesthesiologists play a huge role in the operations of ASCs. As such, making these specialists a part of the office team is crucial. Anesthesiologists should be familiar with the pre-, day of- and post-surgery routines set out for the surgeons and staff of the office to ensure efficiency. Staffing CRNAs and extra anesthesiologists should be done in blocks to make billing and dictations easier. Involving the anesthesiologists in business decisions and, potentially, ownership is another great way to get them on board with improving profits.
Mr. DeConciliis had many suggestions for how to improve profitability at orthopedic-driven ASCs but, ultimately, doing so all came down to one thing: “You have to have the power and the aggression to go after what you want. That’s the key to profitability,” he said.