At the 11th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference on June 13, Vishal Lal, MD, co-founder and CEO of Advanced Pain Management in Wisc., discussed improving an interventional pain management ambulatory surgery center.
In a session titled “Managing Pain Protocols, Branding and Other Tips to Improve Profitability,” Dr. Lal shared his tips for growing a business into a successful and streamlined pain management practice.
Dr. Lal said his company uses the SCOPE method to develop and maintain a successful pain business.
SCOPE stands for:
- Selection of physicians: Hire the right physicians who are board-certified, fellowship-trained and ready to work hard.
- Corporate and clinical infrastructure: Create and support departments through your business infrastructure, such as human resources, medical records and accounting.
- Opportunities: Use national statistics, outcomes data and a referral network to target the right market and gain new patients.
- Practice model: Provide quality service to physicians, patients and referring physicians to meet all their needs.
- Education: Find the major payers in the market to contract appropriately, and education patients on insurance restrictions so they are not stuck with a bill they cannot pay.
Interventional pain surgery centers should also focus heavily on branding and marketing to the community. Pick core values that you want to represent your brand, he said, and develop services appropriately.
He also recommends having a strong online presence including:
- New technology to schedule appointments online
- Treatment guidelines and exercises available for download
- A mobile website with key features
- An online chat to assist physicians and patients browsing the website
"Always be thinking, ‘How can we improve?’” he said. “Never be satisfied. Once you stop looking to improve, then the show is over.”
In a session titled “Managing Pain Protocols, Branding and Other Tips to Improve Profitability,” Dr. Lal shared his tips for growing a business into a successful and streamlined pain management practice.
Dr. Lal said his company uses the SCOPE method to develop and maintain a successful pain business.
SCOPE stands for:
- Selection of physicians: Hire the right physicians who are board-certified, fellowship-trained and ready to work hard.
- Corporate and clinical infrastructure: Create and support departments through your business infrastructure, such as human resources, medical records and accounting.
- Opportunities: Use national statistics, outcomes data and a referral network to target the right market and gain new patients.
- Practice model: Provide quality service to physicians, patients and referring physicians to meet all their needs.
- Education: Find the major payers in the market to contract appropriately, and education patients on insurance restrictions so they are not stuck with a bill they cannot pay.
Interventional pain surgery centers should also focus heavily on branding and marketing to the community. Pick core values that you want to represent your brand, he said, and develop services appropriately.
He also recommends having a strong online presence including:
- New technology to schedule appointments online
- Treatment guidelines and exercises available for download
- A mobile website with key features
- An online chat to assist physicians and patients browsing the website
"Always be thinking, ‘How can we improve?’” he said. “Never be satisfied. Once you stop looking to improve, then the show is over.”