First, Ms. Brown and Dr. Meakem pointed out that the pressure is mounting for external benchmarking, and that most ASCs are competing against someone else in their market. Also, private reporting initiatives have begun to go online, meaning patients can compare ASC scores easily. All of this makes effective benchmarking increasingly important.
Dr. Meakem said that it can be difficult for ASCs to efficiently and accurately capture structured, compliant data. Some ASCs rely on dictated procedure notes, which is not efficient. He recommended using procedure documentation software that can collect data points directly from procedure notes.
Ms. Brown then discussed the importance of benchmarking internally. Using internal benchmarks can help ASCs maintain integrity in delivery of care, maintain safety and efficiency and reveal opportunities for improvement. She said it is also helps prepare ASCs for external reporting and pay-for-performance.
Ms. Brown added that benchmarking has a great return on investment. At Gastroenterology Associates of Central Virginia, she said that benchmarking has led to higher patient satisfaction and room turnover, among other improvements.
Finally, Dr. Meakem said that replacing manual processes with built-in decision support tools help with benchmarking collecting accurate data. It can lead to ongoing commitment to quality and raise the bar for physicians. “Everyone says it’s hard to change physicians,” said Dr. Meakem. “But it is not hard if you have high-quality numbers. Physicians do not want to be the outlying person.”
