Ms. Alteri is the president of the New York State Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and is a surveyor for AAAHC. In addition, she owns her own consulting company and offers guidance to freestanding ASCs all over New York State. “I have gone from nurses’ aide in a nursing home to ICU supervisor to vice president of clinical services to CEO and administrator of the surgery centers,” she says. “I have definitely found my niche in ASCs.”
When thinking about the successes her centers have had over the years, Ms. Alteri can’t name individual initiatives that have impacted this success. “I believe that the ongoing relationship building and immediate availability to the surgical and ASC staff has probably had a lot to do with the success of the center,” she says.
The relationship she sees between her staff and her surgeons is one of her favorite aspects of being administrator at the two centers. “They clearly work together to the patient’s benefit. I am always in awe of these relationships and how well they work together,” she says.
Ms. Alteri enjoys many parts of her job as administrator, including the flexibility her position allows her, so that she can be responsive to the needs of the staff and surgeons at the centers. “Also, the board of directors fully supports my efforts in running the centers and this clearly makes the job more enjoyable. I love to read the patient satisfaction surveys and share them with the staff,” she says.
