Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1043345
12 ASC MANAGEMENT How 4 ASCs are improving the patient experience By Laura Dyrda F our ASC administrators discuss how they are improving the patient experi- ence. Lori Tamburo, CASC. Administrator of Foothills Surgery Center (Boulder, Colo.): e smartest thing Foothills Surgery Center has done to improve the patient experience, aside from the typical advantages of an ASC over a hospital, is that we hired a financial counselor. It is a new role which was developed over the past year in an effort to educate our patients about their financial responsibility and ensure that they under- stand the financial end of surgery in an ASC. ere is potential for patients to receive four [explanation of benefits] for one surgery and providing the patients with individual attention to set their expectations upfront has been very beneficial. We have seen much higher patient satisfaction as a result. Joy Taylor. COO of Polaris Spine (At- lanta): By having our own ASC, we can completely customize the patient experience. Because our patients have been seen in our office and have already formed relation- ships with us, we are able to anticipate their unique needs and provide personalized care. We have found that the little things go a long way. Aer surgery in our ASC, we provide patients with a postoperative care kit of sorts, complete with a Polaris tote bag for clothing and belongings, organic chapstick for dry lips post-intubation and warm socks. ese ideas have come from listening to our patients' feedback. In addition to providing care for our pa- tients, we pay a great deal of attention to the patients' families. We try to provide a relax- ing experience for them, with assorted teas and coffees, snacks and comfortable chairs and couches. Catherine Ruppe, RN, CASC. Executive Director of Proliance Highlands Sur- gery Center (Issaquah, Wash.), Overlake Surgery Center (Bellevue, Wash.) and Richmond (Wash.) Surgery Center: I have three centers and we triangulate a precise metropolitan area, so we are able to offer lots of free parking. We've also taken the high- end approach for design and build. We are space-efficient, so the workflow makes sense for staff and our centers have lots of storage room. We want to make the ASC friendly and comfortable for the patient. At the most recent center I'm opening, we included high-end flooring to ensure the patient has a calming and soothing experience. We have received comments on our nice artwork, comfortable furnishings and feel; our ASCs don't feel clinical. Patients also comment on how warm and welcoming the centers are because they feel more like a spa than a hos- pital, but we also have the latest technology. Every patient room is private and has a TV, and patients have control of their stretchers so they can raise their own head. We also talk a lot about customer service and moving discharged patients safely. Some- times we have to balance that with patients saying they aren't ready to go home. We talk about our patient surveys every quarter and go over the responses. Benita Tapia. Administrator of 90210 Surgery Medical Center (Beverly Hills, Ca- lif.): Patients tell us over and over again they feel like they're given a more personal expe- rience. Hospitals are usually extremely large and the patient has to encounter a multitude of different people. It can be overwhelming for patients navigating through a large hospi- tal just to check-in for their procedure. In the ASC environment you oen find staff wearing many hats, you may find the preop nurse that took care of the patient will be there to greet the patient in the post- anesthesia care unit aer the case, which provides a continuity of care and a personal bond between the patient and the nurse. e long wait in hospitals of cases getting delayed and rescheduled because of emergencies can cause anxiety. e patient can be le NPO and anxiously waiting for their procedure and the operating room to become available. Usually cases go more true to time in an ASC environment. n Intermountain cuts 396 jobs, adds 107 in reorganization By Kelly Gooch S alt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare said its reorganization of op- erations affected hundreds of positions, according to a Deseret News report. The 22-hospital system said it eliminated 396 positions in the reorganization that began late last year, but it has added 107 new ones. The eliminated positions were mostly in management, Intermountain leaders told employees in a newslet- ter cited by the Deseret News. Others in eliminated positions remained with the system as "part of 1,075 care- givers that now have redesigned jobs and job titles, which include new responsi- bilities and leadership opportunities," the leaders said in the newsletter. According to the report, the changes are separate from Intermountain's an- nouncement Jan. 24 that it would transfer about 2,300 nonclinical employees to R1 RCM. They are also separate from the Intermountain's announcement in March that it would outsource 98 IT system employees as a result of a new partnership with Tysons, Va.-based IT services provider DXC Technology. Rob Allen, senior vice president and COO of Intermountain, told the Deseret News no more layoffs are anticipated as a result of the reorganization. People in eliminated positions who didn't find another job at Intermountain received as- sistance in their job search, Mr. Allen said. "Unless we address our costs, many people aren't going to be able to afford their healthcare," Intermountain CEO Marc Harrison, MD, said in the newsletter to em- ployees. "And our premiums are going to keep going up, we won't be competi- tive, and it will be bad for everyone." n