Breaking down the silos — How care coordination software is bringing center operations closer together

Using traditional communication methods to coordinate ASC caseloads can make ASC administrators feel like they're trapped in a silo.

Amy Ishmael, a customer success manager with Casetabs, shared how Casetabs' coordination software helped her surgery center tackle the communication problems, and how she's using her past surgery center experience to refine Casetabs' offerings.

Question: How have you used your surgery center experience at Casetabs to help better tailor the software to surgery centers?

Amy Ishmael: There are so many intricate details that take place when coordinating a surgery that only someone with direct experience will understand. Having had direct experience in every aspect of a surgery center: clinical, business office and leadership, I have been able to provide unique front-line insight to our team. This information was used to guide the evolution of Casetabs by addressing some very real communication issues.

When I was first introduced to Casetabs — while working at a surgery center — the system enabled basic communication between the reps and the surgery center. Scheduling changes and case updates were pushed electronically to the rep to ensure nothing was missed. I immediately saw the potential for this solution to streamline communication for everyone involved in a case.

The team at Casetabs didn’t realize the detail that went into scheduling and coordinating a case and how many errors happen because people work in silos. The ability to extend the solution to physician offices, anesthesia, ancillary services and others meant everyone would finally be on the same page. Feedback from the transparency gained was extremely positive. Further expanding the product to enable case-related documents to be uploaded and available for all to see was equally as valuable to users. For example, anesthesiologists truly appreciate the ability to see the latest updates while not having to worry about missing something because a fax may or may not have made it over.

By sharing my knowledge, I am able to provide unique insight to help create a story for our development team that details the experiences and interactions from the front line, as if they are the Casetabs end-user. As a result, what started as a communication tool to bridge reps and the surgery center has greatly evolved to include everyone involved in a case.

Q: What do you think is the biggest void a health IT investment can fill in the ASC space?

AI: Surgery coordination is very siloed in the ASC industry. Cases are coordinated in a discombobulated fashion. Every stakeholder including physician office teams, surgery center teams and ancillary teams — such as medical reps, radiology, pathology, physical therapy and neuromonitoring teams, etc. — rely on their own scheduling platform. Yet, there is an assumption everyone is in sync and updates, coordinated through fragmented chains of emails, faxes, phone calls, text messages, etc., are received. This perceived reality of harmony couldn’t be further from the truth.

ASCs are missing a central nervous system. This is where Casetabs comes in.

Consider the surgery center as similar to the brain. The human body comprises vital parts that all need to properly connect and communicate in order to function correctly. Coordinating a case requires multiple people working together. The nervous system is what tells all of the body parts what to do and when; this is the missing link in a surgery center. Casetabs addresses this void. It is the central nervous system that keeps all of the moving parts working in harmony.

Q: What's missing in health IT concerning surgery centers? What is the industry not talking about it that it should be?

AI: Surgery centers have lacked a central hub for coordinating and communicating real-time case information electronically. Fax, email, phone calls are all great communication methods, but not for coordinating a surgery.

They are time consuming and unreliable. Yet, ASCs and hospitals continue to rely on these antiquated methods simply because it is how surgeries have always been coordinated. It is deemed the de facto tried and true method. What isn’t being discussed is the time it takes to coordinate surgeries using these manual methods. No one talks about the needless delays and cancellations when communication errors occur or the impact to revenue.

Bringing this process online and creating a central hub where real-time case information can be accessed by those that need it, creates a more efficient, error-free process for coordinating surgeries. Casetabs provides instant notification and transparency for every aspect of the case coordination process to every person involved. No more waiting on a fax or wondering if an email was read.

Q: Thinking toward the future, what should every surgery center be doing in terms of technology investments that it isn't already?

AI: The first round of health IT didn’t necessarily take the end user into consideration. Technology was primarily developed by a small group of people in a room with a focus on the technology itself, not the end user. Clearly there was a learning curve and this next round of technology is being developed with the advantage of user feedback.

I can pick up my phone and message anyone in the world within in seconds. I can conduct all of my banking from my desk or my mobile device. Physicians and patients alike are coming to expect these modern-day conveniences in every part of their lives. Yet something as critical as surgery coordination continues to reply on archaic communication. Technology has progressed far beyond that. To successfully compete, centers must educate themselves on what’s available and be ready and willing to move forward.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Webinars

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Podcast