Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1491055
17 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 'I'm not sure if the healthcare landscape has ever seen a storm like this one,' surgeon says By Patsy Newitt S pine surgeon Philip Louie, MD, medical director of research and academics at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, joined Becker's to discuss what he wishes his coworkers knew about his job. Editor's note: This interview was edited lightly for clarity and length. Question: What do you wish your coworkers knew about your job? Dr. Phillip Louie: We are living through some unprecedented times. I'm not sure if the healthcare landscape has ever seen a storm like this one that includes: a pandemic, enormous financial losses, constrained environments due to short staffing and many other factors that are seemingly out of our control. And yet, we have more and more patients than ever to take care of, with fewer resources (and staff). I don't think there is much I wish my coworkers knew about my job — but, rather I wish my coworkers understood how critical they each are for me to carry out the duties of my job. And perhaps I (and maybe WE) are not the best at letting our coworkers know this. Our front-line office staff are dealing with more patient encounters than ever — and are incredible at being the initial touch point for patients. Our inpatient nursing staff has been incredibly adaptive to care for all of our patients (who are now more nervous than just surgery recovery) despite the stressful changes of a dynamic pandemic. Our schedulers are incredibly creative in ensuring that we are caring for our patients in as timely of a manner as we can squeeze into the system. Our physician assistants and nurse practitioners carry the weight of the spine service on their shoulders. My surgical colleagues are my work family. My job isn't my job without them, and I certainly wouldn't want my job if I couldn't work with them. So that's it. I wish my coworkers knew how integral they are to our team and myself. n One ASC leader's tips for lowering operating costs By Riz Hatton P rashanth Bala, vice president of ASC operations at Shields Health in Quincy, Mass., spoke with Becker's Oct. 21 to discuss tips for lowering ASC operating costs. Editor's note: is piece was edited lightly for brevity and clarity. Question: How can ASCs lower operating costs? Prashanth Bala: ere are a couple of different ways. So obviously understanding the business as a whole, and taking the time to do a few things. One of which could be renegotiating implant costs or just your supply cost expenses in general. I think that's an area for continued opportunity of reducing costs. No. 2 is I think one of the areas that we're looking at, for example, is where can technology play a role that used to once upon a time be dominated by a human? Can we redeploy our people so that they can be more patient centric, as opposed to process centric, and let our technology help? With those processes, there's a lot of activity now in artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to back-office functions. ere's technology when it comes to preregistration and the preoperative process when the patient enters the building. We are looking at what that might look like for us if we were to deploy technology as opposed to having it be a person. en taking our people and saying, "We want you to be more patient focused and putting attention to the patient as opposed to that process of administrative tasks." Q: Are there any specific technologies or programs that Shields Health has been using or that you've been keeping an eye out for? PB: ere's a few. So there's a lot of activity right now in the revenue cycle space that has to do with using AI for prior authorization and machine-learning type technologies that help with patient coding and clinical documentation. ere's several companies in that space now. ere's a lot of great technology coming out now in the areas of supply chain management, in tracking where your implants are, where they are in the process. One particular one called Tie Dye Health, we are looking at them because they can take the people out of having to navigate the purchase order documentation, and have that be an electronic process so that we don't have to get a person to send it over to a revenue cycle [department]; revenue cycle can automatically pull that via being electronic, especially for … estimating the bills for implants. We're also looking at some preregistration technology as well, so that it can be more engaging for our patients. en it can also bring them into the care and have them own their care, so to speak, and be a part of it. ere is a lot of great technology around that space. n