1. Don’t get complacent. When a new ASC opens, “everyone is very involved,” Ms. Dentler says. Staff at a new center have to be constantly on their toes because there are many surveys to prepare for, but as things settle down, some complacency sets in. “When a surgery center gets to be five years old, it’s probably in need of a shakeup,” she says.
2. Anticipate retirements. Volume can suddenly plummet when a physician-owner retires because one has thought about recruiting new physicians to take their place. As physician-owners age, someone needs to start succession planning, recruiting new doctors who are at or near the beginning for their careers.
3. Find alternative to adding ORs. As volume rises and the schedule gets tights, owners may contemplate adding more ORs, but this can be expensive. Another way to free up the schedule is to open on certain nights or weekends. Ms. Dentler says opening one Saturday a month is preferable to nights due to requirements that patients do not eat before surgery. It is easier to fast through the night and have surgery in the morning than to fast during the day, she says.
4. Keep current on revenue cycle. The mature ASC can start lagging on coding, billing and collections. Staff need to keep up with current best practices, which may mean sending them to a seminar, giving them a webinar or ordering educational or reference material. A third-party audit can also be instructive for staff who have been doing things the same old way.
5. Review costs. Especially look at contracts with vendors. “Costs can creep up without you realizing it,” Ms. Dentler says.
6. Perform an operational assessment. One low-cost way to perform an operational assessment of the whole organization is to find a non-competing ASC in the area and trade three staff. Each three-member group goes through the other ASC’s operation with a critical eye. Ms. Dentler also performs such assessments. “I walk through the ASC as if I were a patient,” she says. She also talks to physicians on staff and looks at operational and financial structures, comparing them to best practices.
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