Becker's ASC Review

Exceptional nurse leaders are vital to the success of ASCs because they help drive the level of clini- cal quality provided, set the tone for physician re- lationships and establish the culture for both safe- ty and patient experience, according to Michelle George RN, MSN, CASC, vice president of clini- cal services at Surgical Care Affiliates. The sur- gery centers with the most effective and efficient leaders are also the ones with the most successful accreditation and certification survey outcomes. Finding your nurse leader "The opportunity to hire a new nurse leader is an exciting and important time for everyone," says Ms. George. There are two key strategies that ad- ministrators can follow when interviewing candi- dates for the nurse leader position: 1. Take your time and be specific. Identify the best match for your ASC's current leadership needs, says Ms. George. Develop a list of the sur- gery center's current challenges before the recruit- ment process and seek out candidates with the right skill set. "For example, if the center is coming up on a first- time accreditation or licensing survey, it is strong- ly encouraged to hire a nurse leader that knows the survey standards and has experience leading a team in survey readiness," she says. Hire a nurse leader who is a good fit for the cen- ter in terms of values and cultural fit. SCA uses the A Method for Hiring, which aims to identify "A Players," and the company will hold a position until a qualified candidate can be recruited. 2. Include behavior- and situation-based ques- tions. Candidates tend to reveal the most about their leadership abilities when interviewers use behavior-based questions, according to Ms. George. Also, question candidates about situa- tions that did not go well in their past leadership roles and assess their responses. "Keen insight into past mistakes and having a strategy to approach a similar challenge differ- ently is a good indication that a nurse leader has grown and will not repeat past mistakes," she says. "If a candidate shows the tendency to blame oth- ers for the failure or doesn't seem to know what went wrong, then they are apt to repeat these same mistakes at your center." Supporting nurse leadership Finding a great ASC nurse leader is step one. Step two involves encouraging their professional growth to ensure that they feel fulfilled and chal- lenged. Nurse leaders who are allowed to grow in their roles are the ones most likely to stay with your center. "Young leaders grow best in an environment where there is a commitment to mentoring, coaching and allowing them to take on new re- sponsibilities without fear of criticism or failure," says Ms. George. According to Ms. George, placing nurse leaders in committees, change management projects and formal leadership training courses creates oppor- tunities for steady, continuous growth. SCA, for example, established the SCA Leadership Excel- lence program for developing leaders. "Several hundred SCA clinical leaders have completed this leadership training and can use this training to be more effective in their roles," she says. "Many have successfully advanced to administrator or other leadership positions in our company." CONFERENCE SPEAKERS 90+ Surgeons and 23 CEOs Speaking, 120 Sessions - More Than 900 Attendees at this World-Class ASC Event Focused on Orthopedics, Spine and Pain Neel Anand, MD, Clinical Professor of Surgery, Cedars-Sinani Brett Wortman Barnett, Associate, McGuireWoods LLP John Bartos, JD, Chief Executive Of- fi cer, Collect Rx Jack Bert, MD, University of Minnesota School of Medicine Jeff Blankinship, President and Chief Executive Offi cer, Surgical Notes Christopher Bono, MD, Chief of Spine Service, Brigham and Women's Hospi- tal Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery Scott T. Boyd, MD, Omaha Advanced Center for Pain, LLC, Miracle Hills Surgery Center Scott B. Boyd, MD, Columbia Neuro- surgical Associates, P.A. Robert S. Bray, Jr., MD, Founding Director and Chief Executive Offi cer, D.I.S.C. Sports & Spine Center Brett Brodnax, President and Chief Development Offi cer, United Surgical Partners International, Inc Adam J. Bruggeman, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon, South Texas Spinal Clinic Danny Bundren, MBA, CPA, JD, VP, Acquisitions, Operations and Develop- ment, Symbion Healthcare Meggan Michelle Bushee, JD, Associate, McGuireWoods LLP John Caruso, MD, FACS, Neurosurgeon, Parkway Surgery Center Sarah A. Chacko, JD, Assistant Direc- tor of State Government Affairs and Legal, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Margaret Chappell, MS, BSN, RN, CASC, Senior Vice President of Opera- tions, Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America John Cherf, MD, MPH, MBA, President, Vice Chairman, Chief of Orthopedics, OrthoIndex, OrthoCentrix Solutions, The Chicago Institute of Orthopedics Dean Chou, MD, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, The UCSF Spine Center, University of California San Francisco Terrence T. Crowder, MD, Sonoran Spine Center R. Blake Curd, MD, Board of Directors Chairman, Surgical Management Professionals Fred Davis, MD, Michael DePalma, MD, Virginia iSpine Physicians, PC Ara Deukmedjian, MD, Chief Executive Offi cer and Medical Director, Deuk Spine Institute Goran Dragolovic, Senior Vice President of Operations, Surgical Care Affi liates Randall Dryer, MD, Central Texas Spine Institute Laura Dyrda, Editor in Chief, Becker's ASC Review; Becker's Spine Review Walter Eckman, MD, Aurora Spine Center Jessica Edmiston, ICD-10-CM Certifi ed Trainer; Vice President, Performance Review, National Medical Billing Services Tom Ferro, President, OrthoNOW, LLC John N. Fink, Senior Manager, ECG Management Consultants, Inc. Robin Fowler, MD, Chairman and Medical Director, Interventional Management Services Timothy J. Fry, JD, Associate, McGuireWoods LLP Amy Gagliardi, Vice President, Supply Chain, Regent Surgical Health Molly Gamble, Managing Editor, Becker's Healthcare Brian Gantwerker, MD, The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles Steven Garfi n, MD, Distinguished Professor; Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery; Chief, Spine Surgery, UC San Diego Ann B. Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC, Vice President, Clinical Informatics, Surgery, SourceMedical C. David Geier, Jr., MD, Sports Medi- cine Specialists of Charleston, Medical Director, East Cooper Sports Medicine, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Brian Gill, MD, Nebraska Spine Group Scott Glaser, MD, DABIPP, Co-Founder and President, Pain Specialists of Greater Chicago Todd Godfrey, Senior Manager, ECG Management Consultants, Inc. Daniel Goldberg, Chief Executive Offi cer and Creative Director, Gold Medical Marketing Doug Golwas, SVP - Ambulatory Sur- gery Center Sales, Medline Industries Charley Gordon, MD, Texas Spine & Joint Hospital Raymond E. Grundman, MSN, MPA, FNP-BC, CASC, Vice President & Gen- eral Manager, Ambulatory Accreditation Operations, Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) Purnendu Gupta, MD, Director, Chi- cago Spine Center, Weiss Memorial Hospital Nameer Haider, MD, Spine & Skeletal Pain Medicine, 2208 Genesee Street Kenny Hancock, President and Chief Development Offi cer, Meridian Surgical Partners Christine Heald, Senior Vice President Business Development, Surgery Partners Andrew C. Hecht, MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center To Register, Call 800-417-2035 • Fax 866-678-5755 • Email registration@beckershealthcare.com Register Online at http://www.beckersasc.com/Junereg2015

• Cover