There are a number of different metrics that administrators need to track and tasks they need to perform. But with so much to do each day, week and month, how can administrators stay on top of their various duties?
Here are six tips:
1. Organize, organize and organize. Spreadsheets, lists, binders — use all the organizational material available to manage a high volume task load.
"I have specific spreadsheets that I monitor, add to and update regularly such as spreadsheets for volumes, expenses, collections, refunds and quality measures," says Angie Blankinship, RN, BSN, CASC, administrator of Northstar Healthcare Surgery Center in Dallas. "I also keep a binder of tasks to be accomplished. When I have some quiet time, I pull out my binder and work on the tasks."
These tasks can include contract negotiation, getting ready for a staff meeting, board meeting or marketing activities. "The list is as long as the binder is thick," she adds. "There is always something that needs attention."
2. Talk to your staff — administrative and clinical. Meeting with administrative staff as well as key clinical leaders on a consistent basis is essential. "Keep track of the good and the bad so that there won't be any surprises," says Scott Edwards, administrator at North MS Ambulatory Surgery Center in Tupelo, Miss.
At North MS Ambulatory Surgery Center, staff members are asked to fill out surveys every two years. "We follow up on their surveys and address any weak areas," he says. "It takes communication and visibility on the part of administrators to make sure that staff members are happy and satisfied."
3. Automate materials management. An inventory management system can do wonders for an administrators' 
schedule. Implementing technology to record par levels and automatically re-order stock lightens an administrator's workload. "You don't want to overstock or run low, and inventory management systems can help administrators avoid either scenario," says Vivek Taparia, director of operations at Regent Surgical Health.
4. Perform daily "rounding." Ms. Blankinship says "rounding" to each department on a daily basis can be beneficial. "I round at least four times a day," she says. "I wear scrubs at least three times weekly so that I can get into the operating rooms and see if there are any items that I need to attend to."
Ms. Blankinship also participates in perioperative processes on busy days and performs tasks such as making beds and discharging patients.
5. Don't forget to delegate. "Delegate what you can and make sure that what you delegate is communicated back to you," says Mr. Edwards. "Work smarter rather than harder." Getting caught up in too many of the details is a common trap for administrators to avoid, which means no micromanaging.
6. Be an informed leader. In today's rapidly changing healthcare industry, administrators need to be informed leaders, and they need to think about the future of their organizations in addition to the day-to-day functioning, according to Mr. Taparia.
"There are so many changes taking place in healthcare and ASC administrators are running a healthcare organization," he says. "So they need to understand what is going on in the healthcare landscape as a whole. They need to think about their organization's future from a long-term and strategic standpoint."
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