Becker's ASC Review

ASC Turnarounds: Ideas to Improve Performance 12 For most cases, performing procedures in a surgery center can save as much as 40 to 50 percent on the facility fee, with the same physicians performing those cases. "Payors have the data and they know what they are paying to whom," says Ms. Ruterbories. "It's interesting that they haven't come to the realization that there is a different cost per case in a hospital as opposed to the ASC. If they are aware of that we all need to push them to act on those cost differences. We need to shine a brighter light on that." 9. Automate wherever possible. Automation is the next wave of technological advancement for surgery centers, and new software can make collecting patient histories more efficient. OA Centers for Orthopaedics recently began using preopscreening.com, a program that asks patients to electronically enter their medial history. "We know everything about their medical history before they walk in the door," says Ms. Ruterbories. "From the ASC perspective, there are certain cases we can do here and some we definitely can't. If we know early on in the process that one of our patients isn't a good candidate for our center, we don't book them at the ASC. Instead we have them go into a tertiary care center or another facility with 24-hour coverage." When cases are canceled on the day of surgery " because the patient isn't a good candidate for the ASC, you waste time and money preparing for the case. ASCs can save by knowing the patient's medical history in advance and ensuring it's scheduled in the right setting. "We are really trying to screen our patients ahead of time and using this program has proven successful," says Ms. Ruterbories. "We've seen less day-ofsurgery cancellations, which is a huge savings for our surgery center. It's also providing safer care for patients because we know more about them. If we see something that is of concern for us, we get the notes from their primary care physician." The system used at OA Centers for Orthopaedics is flexible and Ms. Ruterbories was able to customize the program for their practice "The program red flags certain medical conditions, so we know who might be at risk just from looking at the patient list," she says. "It also flags MRSA, which is something we didn't have to worry about in the past. Having done this for 25 years, I can see that the health of the patients coming to surgery centers is a lot more complex than 10 years ago and now we are dealing with that upfront, which is how it should be done." 10. Improve employee culture. One of the hot topics among ASC leaders today is em- ployee culture. A positive patient experience is essential moving toward more consumer-driven healthcare, and cooperative staff members will enhance patient experience tremendously. "You need to work on staff culture so the patients recognize staff members are happy in the workplace," says Ms. Ruterbories. "When a healthcare provider's attitude is such that they are smiling, even though patients are lying in bed in the recovery room, they notice how our staff members act." Ms. Ruterbories holds staff meetings every two weeks to help build their team. "The team members are stepping up and presenting about what 'team concept' means to them," she says. "They talk about what they find value in as a team member and share that with the group." At the heart of these initiatives, Ms. Ruterbories hopes a positive culture will build trust and communication across her team. "It doesn't matter how good protocols and equipment are, if you don't have teamwork you won't have a highly functioning system," says Mr. Wipfler. "Linda spent a lot of time building trust, breaking down communication barriers and getting people to work through issues in real time. If people are happy, you'll see better quality and more efficiency, and they'll be able to do their work better." n Many practitioners see an AAAHC accreditation survey as a wonderful opportunity to get knowledgeable counsel. " Steven A. Gunderson, DO Featherstone Partnership, LLP AAAHC Surveyor Choose the Leader in Outpatient Surgery Accreditation. With Standards that are nationally recognized and annually reviewed, AAAHC has accredited more than 5,000 health care facilities. Because our surveys are collaborative by nature and not just a checklist, we strive to match each of our surveyor's credentials and experience to your specialty. For more information, Contact us: 847-853-6060 By email: info@aaahc.org Log on: www.aaahc.org/basc Improving Health Care Quality through Accreditation 2023 AAAHC Gunderson halfpg 1.indd 1 3/30/12 11:34 AM

• Cover