The ASC industry faces an array of pressures in the year ahead, from rising costs and payer issues and a struggling physician workforce.
As the demand for surgical services in the U.S. intensifies with an aging population, many ASC leaders are honing in on efficiency, optimization and long-term investments in patient experience.
Jessica Pfister, senior director of operations of ambulatory services and Rachel Carpenter, BSN, RN, associate director of ambulatory surgical services at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, recently joined Becker’s to identify the biggest challenges ahead for their organization.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What are the three biggest operational challenges your ambulatory services are facing in the next year?
Ms. Pfister and Carpenter:
- Operating Room Utilization and Block Management
Ensuring optimal utilization of ASC operating rooms remains a priority. This includes refining block allocation, improving transparency around block release timing and aligning cases to the most appropriate surgical site based on acuity, equipment needs and staffing models. - Surgeon Alignment and Scheduling Efficiency
Balancing surgeon availability across multiple sites while creating consistency and predictability in ASC schedules is an ongoing challenge. Continued engagement with surgeons and schedulers is critical to improving throughput, reducing underutilized time and strengthening ASC identity. - Robotics Integration
There is a clear trend toward robotic surgery across several specialties, with newer surgeons increasingly trained primarily on robotic platforms rather than traditional laparoscopy. Surgeons expect access to this technology, and we are actively evaluating the feasibility of introducing robotics into the ASC environment. This includes assessing capital investment, case volume thresholds, staffing competencies and overall return on investment.
