5 Tips for Growing ASC Volume from David Daniel, CEO of Lakeland Surgical & Diagnostic Center

Over the past several years, Lakeland (Fla.) Surgical & Diagnostic Center has steadily increased its case volume by 8 percent annually, and in 2009 the ASC performed nearly 19,000 cases and more than 31,500 procedures. LSDC's large volumes can be attributed, in part, to its ownership structure which includes two large multi-specialty group practices. However, it is the center's dedication to patient and physician satisfaction that keeps the center growing, says David Daniel, CEO of LSDC.

"Currently, the LSDC has 80 active providers on its staff and they are very loyal to LSDC and much prefer to bring their patients to us over admitting them to the hospital, which is located next door," says Mr. Daniel. "We keep expanding by keeping all our physicians, patients and staff happy and satisfied, but we are careful to not over build or over extend."

Here are five suggestions Mr. Daniel gives for how other ASCs can experience similar volume growth.

1.  Ensure staff and operations are top-notch. The first step to maintain and grow volume is to distinguish your ASC from competitors through friendly, experienced staff and efficient operations, says Mr. Daniel. "The secret to increasing volumes at an ASC is ensuring you have the proper physical plant, state-of-the-art equipment, operational procedures, management and experienced, specialized staff to support using the physicians and surgeons to the optimal extent possible," he says. "If you do this the physicians will come, the patients will follow and your volume will grow."

2. Only add specialties that make financial sense for the center.
Although adding additional specialties and physicians is usually an easy way to increase volume, Mr. Daniel warns that ASCs must first examine their local markets to see if there is demand for the services. "We evaluate if this specialty is profitable for an ASC or not, and if it will be a good fit for the organization," he says.

At LSDC, the physician groups that own the center lead the recruiting efforts by bringing additional physicians to their groups who can in turn practice at the ASC, but ASC administration provides input and suggestions throughout the process, says Mr. Daniel.

3. Consider hiring a full-time marketing point person.
Mr. Daniel says that LSDC's marketing efforts play a significant role in contributing to its high volumes. LSDC employs a full-time director of marking who is devoted to expanding the business. Her duties include maintaining the center's Web site, ensuring seamless appointment scheduling, meeting weekly with community groups to promote LSDC, following up on all patient comments and spearheading process improvement efforts, he says.

4. If a physician reduces his or her case load, investigate why. LSDC leadership monitors the number of cases each physician brings to the ASC, and if cases begin to drop, the leaders go directly to the physician to investigate why he or she is not using the ASC as frequently.

"For the most part the physicians prefer the LSDC over the hospital for outpatient procedures due to our exceptional efficiency, low infection rate and very high patient satisfaction scores," says Mr. Daniel. However, if the physician was to identify a problem, it would be immediately addressed, he says.

5. Sweat the small stuff. Often, it's the small things that keep physicians and patients coming to your ASC. "It's the smaller things that set you apart and make the physicians feel welcome. Offering lunch if they're working over those hours, having the types of scrubs they prefer and reserving parking spaces — all of these things go a long way to make the physicians happy," says Mr. Daniel.

Learn more about LSDC.

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