From data-driven quality dashboards to new frameworks, ASC leaders are moving beyond reactive care, building systems where safety is structural, outcomes are measurable, and patients feel supported long after they leave the procedure room.
Five ASC leaders joined Becker’s to discuss the biggest shift ASCs have made to strengthen outcomes.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What’s the single biggest shift your ASC has made to strengthen outcomes? How are you measuring its impact?
Jess Doto, MSN, APRN. Medical Director of Elysara Ithaca (N.Y.) and Elysara Medical & Wellness (Huntington, N.Y.): The biggest shift has been moving away from isolated “procedure-based” care toward a longitudinal patient management model. In outpatient procedural medicine, patients often receive treatment without enough emphasis on optimization before treatment, recovery support afterward, or identification of underlying contributors affecting healing and outcomes.
We implemented more structured intake screening, medication and supplement reconciliation, patient education pathways, recovery follow-up, and standardized escalation protocols for complications or symptom changes. We also focused heavily on continuity between clinical staff, procedural providers, and patient communication workflows.
We measure impact through:
- Reduction in postoperative and post-treatment complications
- Fewer urgent patient callbacks and after-hours concerns
- Improved adherence to treatment and recovery plans
- Patient satisfaction and retention
- Earlier identification of adverse reactions or recovery delays
One of the largest improvements has been reducing fragmentation in outpatient care delivery. Patients tend to recover better when they feel monitored, educated, and supported beyond the procedure itself.
Megan Friedman, DO. Chair and Medical Director at Pacific Coast Anesthesia Consultants (Los Angeles): One of the biggest shifts has been improving perioperative alignment between anesthesia, OR leadership and scheduling. Operational decisions are now more data driven and coordinated in partnership. We measure impact through not just turnover times, first case on time starts, and same day cancellations, but also room utilization, overtime utilization, surgeon satisfaction and overall cost per case.
Liz Hunt. CEO of Green Mountain Surgery Center (Colchester, Vt.): One of the biggest shifts we’ve made at Green Mountain Surgery Center has been building a truly data-driven culture around quality and operational performance rather than treating quality initiatives as isolated compliance exercises. We integrated benchmarking, patient experience data, near-miss reporting, operational metrics, and clinical outcomes into a unified continuous improvement framework that is reviewed routinely across leadership, clinical teams and governance structures.
Importantly, we focus not only on adverse outcomes, but also on identifying “weak signals” before they become patient safety events. This includes tracking trends in turnaround times, on-time starts, staffing patterns, patient feedback, recovery variances, infection prevention indicators and near-miss reporting.
We measure impact through a combination of CMS quality metrics, OAS CAHPS patient satisfaction data, internal quality dashboards, incident trend analysis and external benchmarking against ASC peers. Over time, this approach has strengthened consistency, improved communication across departments, and reinforced a proactive safety culture where staff feel empowered to speak up early.
Allison Thomas, RN. Director of Clinical Services and Quality at Gastrointestinal Associates (New York City): One of the biggest shifts our ASC has made to strengthen outcomes has been increasing communication and ongoing staff education through quarterly safety in-services. For example, our ASC supervisors conduct quarterly training sessions focused on fall prevention. This approach helps reinforce best practices for existing staff while also ensuring that new hires receive consistent education and support. We believe these recurring reviews keep safety initiatives fresh in everyone’s minds and contribute to stronger patient outcomes.
Martha Wolf, MSN, RN. Manager of Quality & Education of ASCs at BayCare (St. Petersburg, Fla.): BayCare is advancing its commitment to Just Culture across the organization as part of its journey toward zero harm. Just Culture is both a philosophy and a process that provides a structured, consistent approach to addressing errors, balancing a focus on system design with accountability for individual choices.
The philosophy of Just Culture is to respond to errors with learning, responsibility and support, while fostering psychological safety so team members feel comfortable reporting mistakes without fear of unfair treatment. It distinguishes between human error, at-risk behavior and reckless behavior. Using a structured decision-making framework, leaders assess behavior rather than outcome, hierarchy or emotion to ensure fair and consistent responses. This approach promotes shared learning, strengthens accountability and supports a culture of continuous improvement across the system.
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.