Becker's ASC Review

15 Executive Briefing: Innovations for ASC Workflow Sponsored by "Patient engagement is the name of the game in healthcare today," says Dan Co- holan, president of Simple Admit. Ambulatory surgery centers that engage their patients beyond the traditional pro- vider letters and phone calls will far exceed their competitors in driving patient vol- ume and satisfaction. The most advanced providers are using email, text messaging, phone calls, data sharing and social me- dia, among other tactics, to connect with patients efficiently and effectively. Your ambulatory surgery center can too, with the right partnerships and new tech- nology seamlessly integrating into cur- rent workflows. "Innovative disruption is good," says Mr. Coholan. "Using technology to improve healthcare is the future, but it has to make a difference to the patients and the provid- er. It's up to us to understand our custom- ers and make sure we create cost-effective solutions that improve medical outcomes and business operations for ASCs." Simple Admit has developed a suite of patient-engagement solutions designed to engage, enable and empower patients to achieve better medical outcomes. Their customizable technology also cre- ates efficiencies for ASCs, including in- terfacing with existing practice manage- ment software and EMRs. "I have used a number of different sys- tems throughout the years, and people are quick to sell a software or system, but I will tell you Simple Admit backs up ev- erything they said they would do," says Conroe (Texas) Surgery Center Adminis- trator Edward Downs. "Customer service is beyond reproach. They go above and beyond to make sure everything is in place and educated our staff throughout the transition. I haven't ever experienced that much support after purchasing a system. This is one of the best decisions we've made this year." "One of the most critical things any tech- nology company can do is listen to their customers," explains Mr. Coholan. "As a company, that's been essential to our success. We are so committed to this, we recently hired an ASC administrator who used to oversee five centers to spear- head our Client Success Team. We want our clients to know that their feedback is one of the main drivers in our product development." Some of the technologies include: Simple Admit — Online pre-op screen- ing that engages with patients through phone or online health history data col- lection. Patients have the ease and con- venience of completing their health his- tory anytime and from any place, which promotes more accurate and thorough data collection. Patients can also log in anytime to update and manage their health history information. Simple Pay — Pre-visit payment system where facility staff can easily email the patient co-pay and deductible informa- tion then offer a link to a payment portal. Patients can setup payment plans, credit card payments or even apply for financial assistance before their day of service. Pa- tients feel more in control of the process and educated about their options. Simple Contact—Automated phone calls and text messages that are integrated with all other services, enabling the facil- ity to easily contact patients to register online, remember their appointments, and follow pre-visit instructions. Simple Assist — Phone registration and pre-op screening for patients who want to be engaged but struggle with online systems. Simple Assist gives patients the option of phone screenings or registra- tions. The Simple Assist service is conve- nient and easy for patients who may want to talk about the process, ask questions, and call back multiple times. Simple Surveys — Within a day of their procedure, patients receive an auto- mated customized email from the ASC linking them to a customized patient satisfaction survey, which the patient can easily and quickly complete online. Pa- tient feedback is timely and important. "Simple Admit was formed as a patient admissions tool but has evolved into a patient engagement solution," says Mr. Coholan. "Each of our services can be integrated, so once we connect with the patient, we are able to support their de- sire to manage their medical information, ask questions, get education, pay their bill, even give the ASC survey feedback. All of this leads to a more informed, com- pliant patient and better medical care overall. Our technology has been mov- ing in this direction for many years, and the ASC industry has really embraced it." Patients typically aren't looking forward to their surgeries; even elective proce- dures can make patients nervous. But a welcoming and efficiently run surgery center can make the experience better. "Patients tend to explain a little more on their online health history form rather than verbally communicating, therefore the clinical staff can assess the patient and their needs to prepare and communicate to the anesthesiologists and/or surgeon if need be prior to the visit," says Pamela Stahlberg, regional director of Business Office Opera- tions at United Surgical Partners Interna- tional. "This allows the clinical staff to have a plan in place for patient care." According to Mr. Downs, patients may complain about long wait times, repeating their health information over and over, or case cancellations. Mr. Downs has seen wait times shrink from more than an hour to 30 minutes because the process is much quick- er. "We've seen a difference in the patient satisfaction for wait times; it has increased to the 96th percentile, and there has been a drastic decrease in cancellations," he adds. Take Your ASC's Patient Engagement to the Next Level By Laura Dyrda

• Cover