Question: How is IU Health thinking about the growth of those specialties as care increasingly moves to ASCs and outpatient settings?
Jennifer Alvey: We have been expanding our ASC presence. In Fort Wayne, we’ve entered that market first with primary care, then with medical office buildings and surgery centers. We’ve been a new entrant into that market, and that is going really well.
But we are also going to stay true to who we are and perform inpatient and complex care really well. Not only are we a large academic health system, we’re also a huge community health provider. We are the largest health system in this state and are continuing to support the community by staying close to home — really expanding outpatient care and home care, especially in rural Indiana communities.
Another thing is the site-of-service bill that passed in Indiana. We were prepared for that with our pricing plan and intend to reduce the site-of-service differential in how we’re planning for the future. We want to be able to move patients to wherever they want to go — the location that works best for them — and have everything be the same price. It’s really about delivering on where we think patient care is going, giving price estimates up front, being able to move patients anywhere and have services be priced the same.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
