The ASC industry is dynamic and growing as healthcare organizations — from physician groups to private equity firms — look to invest in ASC development and growth.
Five ASC leaders recently joined Becker’s to share their advice for those just breaking into the ASC industry.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length:
Arthur Grimberg. Assistant Vice President and COO of Orlando (Fla.) Health: Serving as a CEO or administrator at an ASC is a demanding role that requires expertise in numerous areas. Administrators are responsible for a wide range of functions, including human resources, life safety, plant operations, physician relations, business development, regulatory compliance, and many other critical domains.
To achieve success, ASC administrators must build and engage with their teams, including staff, physicians and anesthesia providers, and ensure that they have what they need to provide high quality care to each patient.
For physicians — upon whom the center depends — ensuring they have consistent and skilled staff to support quality care in a safe environment is key.
The success of the ASC and patient safety, and satisfaction, also centers around the anesthesia team, which supports efficient workflow by understanding the needs of each physician
The staff is the nervous system of the ASC. They need to feel valued, heard and a part of the team. A successful administrator will understand their needs and expectations, support them, lead by example and be a resource to get feedback, solve issues or improve processes. If there is a breakdown in staff performance, it will directly affect part or the entire ASC.
And finally, a successful administrator needs to round at a minimum twice a day, with the entire team as well as with patients and family members.
Brian Bizub. CEO of Raleigh (N.C.) Orthopaedic Clinic: Prioritize the patient experience, uphold clinical excellence, and optimize operational efficiency. Actively engage all team members including physicians, anesthesiologists, and clinical staff in delivering high-quality care, with patient safety as your foremost priority.
Helen Dickson, MSN. Administrator of Premier at Exton (Pa.) Surgery Center: Know your standards and regulations so you can be a resource to your staff in all areas. Spend time in each area to understand the challenges and processes they are exposed to. Empathy is very important in a small environment such as an ASC.
Lisa York, MSN. Executive Director of Hunterdon Center for Surgery (Flemington, N.J.): Be flexible and take time to listen to staff and physicians. Stay true to standards and best practices and show empathy to all.
Scott Dewey. Chief Managed Care Officer at PayrHealth (Lakeway, Texas): My advice to a new ASC leader is to think about reimbursement strategy from Day 1. ASCs provide payors with incredible value in cost and outcomes and you need to quantify this. By using price transparency data to determine what payors’ costs are in these settings, you can demonstrate the savings you are generating for them. To prepare for payor contract negotiations, know what your leverage points are and move to secure and enhance them. Align your strategy and your goals with your surgeons — being able to either move or not move procedures between higher cost hospitals and lower-cost ASCs strengthens your position at the negotiating table.
