Few care delivery models have won over consumers, physicians and payers as decisively as the ASC. With lower costs, higher patient satisfaction and higher-acuity procedures migrating from hospitals, surgery centers are positioned for sustained growth.
Much of that growth depends on continued advancement of minimally invasive procedures. As ASCs add new specialties, maintaining efficiency becomes increasingly challenging because each service line often introduces new technologies and equipment requirements. These include specialty instruments and visualization platforms that may increase costs and reduce efficiency. Standardizing technology platforms and equipment where possible can help streamline operations.
To learn more about the value of consistency and standardization across ASC procedure rooms and specialties, Becker’s ASC Review spoke with these experts from KARL STORZ:
- Aarathi Cholkeri-Singh, MD, Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer, North America
- Tasha White, Group Marketing Manager, Video Imaging, North America
Multiple technology vendors create operational complexity
Historically, ASCs have expanded one specialty at a time, resulting in a collection of disparate technologies that don’t work together. This creates variation across procedure rooms.
“In addition to the capital expense associated with multispecialty technologies, operational complexity stems from managing multiple platforms, user interfaces and vendor relationships,” Ms. White said.
Dr. Cholkeri-Singh has experienced these operational challenges firsthand. During a recent case at an ASC where she was working, the imaging system failed. When the facility brought in a new visualization tower from another vendor, the clinicians had to change out the cameras, scopes, light cords, camera control units and monitors.
“It was a complete system change — not just a simple switch,” she said. “That significantly delayed us because we had to find the right trays for the new tower.”
Accessory instruments from multiple vendors also introduce reprocessing inefficiencies. Handles and instrument shafts must be cleaned separately. If providers try to attach one vendor’s handle to another vendor’s shaft, they won’t connect properly. To find the right handles, the team must open multiple trays. Time is spent on troubleshooting, rather than patient care.
Standardized visualization brings consistency across specialties
As ASC teams rotate across multiple specialties in a single day, technology variation generates cognitive burden because staff must remember different workflows, interfaces and troubleshooting procedures. Standardized platforms simplify onboarding and cross-training, helping teams become proficient more quickly as service lines expand.
While complete standardization across all technologies is rarely achievable, ASCs can reduce unnecessary complexity by standardizing key platforms. Using a single visualization system and instrumentation portfolio that supports multiple specialties can help provide consistency and simpler workflows for ASC staff. As robotic procedures continue to migrate into the ASCs, a common visualization platform can also help create greater consistency across both traditional minimally invasive and robot-assisted workflows.
Dr. Cholkeri-Singh explained that the KARL STORZ IMAGE1 S™ platform serves as a common visualization platform across ASC service lines, reducing the need for equipment swapping between ORs and minimizing tray variation.
“If a light cord drops on the floor, you just open another tray with the same light cord that can be immediately substituted,” she said. “You don’t have to match each product to the vendor line.”
The cost of variation can’t be ignored
While variation doesn’t show up as a budget line item for ASCs, its true cost is often operational rather than financial, appearing as longer room turnover times, additional staff training requirements, troubleshooting delays and increased inventory management complexity. Over time, these inefficiencies can increase the total cost of ownership of an ASC’s technology investments. That’s why healthcare leaders increasingly prioritize solutions that simplify operations while maximizing the value of existing equipment.
According to independent benchmarking, KARL STORZ’s visualization solutions offer the lowest total cost of ownership, providing a 23% annual cost reduction compared to the leading competitor1. The company achieves this through its modular design. New system components can easily be added to existing towers, protecting the ASC’s capital investment and enabling it to grow as its business needs evolve.
Looking ahead, the economics of the ASC business model will remain top of mind. For instance, if payers change reimbursement policies for surgical procedures, equipment costs will become increasingly important. A standardized platform like the KARL STORZ IMAGE1 S™ can help.
Standardization doesn’t mean limiting clinical choice. It means creating a more consistent operating environment so teams can focus on delivering high-quality patient care.
1 Versus Leading Competitor. Third Party Global Independent Authority on Healthcare Technology and Safety. Information obtained Nov 2024.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
