ENT in ASCs is a growing frontier, Mr. Blake said, and it can be profitable. It’s important to understand the fundamentals of ENT, which are fast surgeries with minimal supplies, short recovery periods, a more minimal Medicare population and a diverse patient age population.
ENT is among the top four specialties for reimbursements rates, but volume is still key to the specialty’s success. When negotiating with commercial payors, ENT ASCs have the most leverage when performing a high number of pediatric cases.
“When talking to payors, you’re going to be able to show why you should be getting more money for your cases,” he said, “because it requires more skilled staffing and more staffing in come cases.”
Beware of new technological gadgets, though. An ASC should spend about $100,000 per ENT operating room. Image guided systems may be required in the future for certain procedures, but they are not vital yet.
Waiting rooms should also be larger, Mr. Blake said. ENT patients, especially pediatric, often bring many family members to surgeries and can quickly fill up waiting rooms.
Overall, ENT is a natural fit for most ASCs because the procedures tend to be lower cost to the patient with better patient satisfaction, lower infection rates and a focus on competent staff members.
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