John Petroni, managing owner of Las Vegas-based Silver State Surgery Center, joined Becker’s to discuss why his ASC separates the administrator and director of nursing roles.
He said dividing operational and clinical oversight creates a smoother patient experience, reduces staff stress and lowers the risk of costly mistakes, despite the added expense of two senior leaders.
John Petroni: Separation of responsibilities provides a better work place environment, and a positive experience for patients, their caregivers and the physician providers.
Administrator is focused on the day to day operations of the ASC, such as staffing, building operations, financial reporting, scheduling and front office management. This includes patient insurance verification, co-pays and open communication to the patients before they arrive. The front office staff works closely with our contracted billing service to make sure there is accurate communication with patients before they arrive. My goal was to make sure that when a patient and their caregiver arrives, their initial experience of the ASC is easy and smooth.
The director of nursing is responsible for all aspects of the ASC when the patient enters pre-op. This includes staffing of all nursing, operating room staffing schedules, as well as maintaining all clinical policies and procedures in line with all regulatory requirements. Once the patient enters pre-op, I want to ensure there is someone who is overseeing the entire patient experience before they leave our center.
This can be a costly investment in having two experienced management positions at the ASC. I believe this decision not only makes the day-to-day management of the center run more effectively, but reduces the opportunity of potential costly mistakes. Tasking one person to manage the enormous responsibilities of an ASC can lead to tremendous stress, and could lead to costly mistakes. This also creates a more focused job responsibility for both the administrator and director of nursing, thus reducing stress and making their job satisfaction greater. Most importantly, this creates an environment for the patient, the patient’s caregiver and our physicians to have a positive experience throughout their procedural day.
Open communication and collaboration is key to making this work. Physician owners, administrator and director of nursing communicate continuously to ensure we focus on providing patients a safe and positive experience.
