Q: What has been the best piece of advice you received throughout your career?
Michael Pankey: Providing quality care is the most cost effective. A dime saved per case that ends up in a lawsuit is not a dime saved, but a dime lost.
Q: How have you put this into practice at your ASC?
MP: I use it in all aspects of my cost containment efforts. I ensure that our cost cutting does not affect our patient’s outcomes or place liability on the center.
[One example is] reprocessing single-use items on site. This would save money but places the center at high liability. The better choice is to use a reprocessing company that has proper FDA approval for this even though it costs more than on site.
Another is using a generic high level disinfecting solution without verifying that it is on the compatible list for the scopes you use. Even if it is the same chemical, without testing and approval for use by the scope manufacturer, the center would void any warrantee or service contract that they have.
Finally, providing the best quality care will end with happy patients. Happy patients do not sue.
