Becker's ASC Review

70 Quality & Accreditation How to Find the Ideal ASC Medical Director By Carrie Pallardy T he medical director is a key figure in an ambulatory surgery cen- ter's team, but as with any leadership role finding the right person is easier said than done. No one specialty can claim physicians tailored to the medical director role. Rather, the physician who spends a significant amount of time at the surgery center is the natural choice. Anesthesiologists are often selected as medical directors because they are frequently present. On the other hand, the medical director may be a physician from one of the center's high volume specialties, such as orthopedics or gastroenterology. More importantly, the ideal ASC medical director will be invested in the center's strategy and success. While medical directors are sometimes also physician owners, the more im- portant investment is time. "The medical director must be "bought in" as the position requires a sizable time commitment. He or she needs to be at part- nership and board meetings as well as quality council and MEC meetings," says Patricia Jepsen, RN, MBA, CASC, Director of Operations with Surgical Management Professionals. Oftentimes there is no one right person for the job, but rather two. "In this case dual medical directors may work," says Ms. Jepsen. "One can help with the busi- ness side of the center and the other can help with the clinical." Additionally, physicians are extremely busy. Two medical directors can not only share respon- sibilities, but always ensure that there is a director at important center meetings. Regardless of whether a center has one or two med- ical directors, it is essential to find certain qualities in those that hold the role. An ASC medical direc- tor cannot have tunnel vision; he or she must be able to understand the perspectives of fellow phy- sicians and the center's administration. "You want someone the administrator can work with. You want someone who will be a champion for the center and won't be adversarial," says Ms. Jepsen. You also want to rely on that physician to effectively communicate on the peer-to-peer level. From trying new implants to standardizing supplies, the effective medical director will communicate with the center's physicians the importance of new initiatives at an ASC. Though medical directors are an important part of the ASC leadership team, many centers do not utilize the role to its full potential or do not fill at all. "The medical director role is vital to taking a center to the next level. They should be working side by side with the administrator as a true champion," says Ms. Jepsen. "Centers that don't have a physician in this role are missing a lot of valuable guidance." n Patricia Jepsen The State of Healthcare Recruitment in 2015: 7 Key Statistics By Emily Rappleye T he growing physician shortage makes for an intense hiring envi- ronment in healthcare, especially as more Americans gain access to care. The industry experienced strong employment growth in 2014 and this is only expected to continue in 2015, according to a re- cent report from Health eCareers. Health eCareers polled 565 healthcare employers, including recruiters, hiring managers and human resource professionals from diverse practice settings, and found the following key statistics on hiring trends and chal- lenges in healthcare. 1. Survey respondents ranked turnover and the physician shortage as top concerns for hiring and recruiting in 2015. 2. 73 percent of employers surveyed said they will have the same number or more job openings in 2015 than 2014. 3. Respondents said physicians and surgeons are the most difficult hiring need, and more specifically family medicine, psychiatry, in- ternal medicine and dermatology are the most difficult. 4. 30.1 percent of respondents said they would use PAs or NPs as al- ternative candidates for difficult-to-fill physician positions. 5. 20.5 percent said they would use travel or per diem staff. 6. 5.3 percent said they would sponsor international healthcare workers. 7. 45 percent said they don't use alternative candidates to fill physician positions. n SAVE THE DATE October 22 - 24, 2015 • Swissôtel - Chicago, Illinois learn more & register at https://www.regonline.com/22ndAnnualASC Becker's ASC 22nd Annual Meeting The Business and Operations of ASCs

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