Panelists included:
Chris Beavor, senior vice president of sales and marketing, HST pathways
Chuck Meisel, vice president of sales, Surgical Notes
Bill Wilder, director of outpatient solutions, DePuy Sythes Advantage
Editor’s note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and style.
On emerging clinical technologies for ASCs
Mr. Beavor: Interoperability will be a key feature for all of you [ASCs] in the coming years. We need to develop a black box that allows us to speak to different vendors across the board. We can’t be all things to all people. The surgery center environment has a focused, factory approach to the delivery of healthcare — better, efficient and economical — but the widespread adoption of clinical and technology advances lag behind.
Mr. Meisel: A lot of the technologies that we want haven’t happened yet because they are being developed now. There are all these startups in our market. You see companies here that weren’t here a year ago and companies that existed in 2008 and 2009 don’t exist today. Technology will change quickly and apps won’t have as long of a lifetime.
Mr. Wilder: I categorize emerging technologies in a couple buckets. One is around measurement. Data is king to use with patients and payers. The other area where we are seeing innovation and technology applied is around efficiency in the form of custom patient instruments.
On underutilized technology and missed opportunities
Mr. Beavor: What we are seeing is a very slow process of adoption. There are some technologies out there today that alleviate the need for staff to pick up phone or a pen and paper. The ability to communicate with patients pre- and postoperatively — don’t eat, there is a tornado warning and the case is cancelled, etc. — these messages can be easily delivered via text. Small things like that have a big impact — it frees people up to do other things without having to rely on phone calls, or pen and paper. The stats will blow you away if you are fearful that sending texts would be counterproductive. They found that the age group of 60-plus was one of the biggest adopters.
Mr. Meisel: Patientengagement pre- and postoperatively — being able to leverage technology — and then also tying it back into patient satisfaction is key. ASCs could do a better job of that as well as tying back results into social media and marketing. When you have a phenomenal product and outcomes, expand on that. Make sure people are hearing in the community. It can be difficult because if you have a hospital partner, the last thing the hospital wants you to do is broadcast less costly services and better outcomes.
Mr. Wilder: Any technology that any of us consider in this space needs to address the Triple Aim. It’s a great litmus test. Also, not all technology has a cost. Sometimes it’s a simple idea or your business partners have value-added solutions that may in fact be a fit for what you are trying to accomplish. Technology tied to triple aim performance and thinking of technology as not always having a significant capital expenditure are missed opportunities.
On EMRS — issues and key takeaways
Mr. Beavor: The No. 1 issue is we are unique to hospitals in the EHR space. Second, I would like to differentiate between EMRs and EHRs. We look at EMRs as the physician component and EHRs as part of the nursing workflow. This may not be in sync with your definition, but we focus on the nursing component in the surgery center. We need to put notes in an automated format so we can document clinical outcomes. Pen and paper is a big hindrance.
Mr. Meisel: I think we need an ESR — an electronic surgical record.
As the market moves toward EHR-type products, the reality is, regardless of the product, it’s not going to do everything. If I can get something that addresses 90 percent, is that acceptable? The perfect product is not out there. If it were, everyone would be using it.
Mr. Wilder: My one key takeaway would be to be diligent in demanding more from industry partners. Ask, “What else do you have in your bag to help me achieve the Triple Aim?”
