Rural ASCs face unique challenges as staffing shortages and gaps in care tend to be more acute in these markets.
Amanda Ryan, DO, CEO and owner of Advanced ASC of Carlsbad, N.M., told Becker’s that her ASC’s geography plays a significant role in determining what new technologies will be the best fit for the facility.
“How do we leverage technology today? We talk a lot about AI in healthcare, but what exactly does that mean for the rural practice and ASC?” she told Becker’s in a podcast published Sept. 21. “How are we going to use it to decrease wait times, improve outcomes, track quality markets and decrease the need for some staff?”
She said that while some people fear AI replacing their roles, she sees it as an opportunity to make people more efficient in the roles they already have. However, many of the AI tools that can perform or streamline burdensome administrative tasks are still out of reach for rural practices like hers.
“We have a lot of calls [come in] that are just confirming appointments,” she said. “We thought it would be great if we had AI that could help us with just that piece. We looked into it, but it was $4 a call. Honestly, that’s not too realistic [for us]. We’re probably getting 400 calls a day,so that’s probably going to be out of our market for what we can afford to pay.”
Over the next 12 months, her focus will be more so on launching additional service lines, particularly in cardiology. Nearly 50% of all counties in the U.S. do not have a single practicing cardiologist, most of which are rural counties where residents are most in need of higher levels of care, according to a July 2024 report by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Expanding this service line is not only a matter of growing her practice, but of covering a serious care gap in the community.
“We’re really looking at adding electrophysiology, as atrial fibrillation is epidemic and underserved, people often waiting six to nine months, traveling for 300-400 miles in our region to see an electrophysiologist,” she said. So, we’re really trying to come up with a way to bring electrophysiology services to our area, and that’s really our biggest growth focus right now.”
