ASC Communications, Inc.

35 Executive Briefing Sponsored by: Is a 20% Savings in Operational Costs Hiding in Plain Sight at Your ASC? H ealthcare leaders today are tasked with a difficult to achieve goal — improving efficiency. This mission at its core is simple, but identifying areas for improvement can be burdensome and many practices are unaware of the best next steps. However, ASCs aren't alone. IBSS created Watershed Process Management Automation, which automates many processes in a surgery center, from communications to inventory and asset management. Watershed fulfills a variety of functions including: • Keeping track of where patients, staff and resources are located, and making sure resources are available when needed • Dynamically updating schedules throughout the day • Relaying information about what tasks should be completed at what time • Automating communications to reduce distractions and miscommunications "Modern process management methodologies allow organizations to make use of latent capacity that they would otherwise not access by anticipating operational requirements in the moment, automating proactive communications, eliminating a thousand delays and adapting schedules to variability and unanticipated events throughout the day," says Stuart Massey, president and COO of IBSS, Inc., an information technology and consulting services firm. Many healthcare leaders are eyeing surgery centers as a means to improve efficiency, decrease costs and increase patient satisfaction, which is evident by the influx of new partnerships taking hold in the industry. ASCs are partnering with large health systems and insurance companies to succeed in the value- based healthcare landscape and success for practices of all sizes is heavily contingent on their ability to operate efficiently. Why has healthcare lagged behind other industries in automation? Healthcare organizations have been slow to adopt automation management systems and other solutions to better manage daily operations due to lack of competition, Mr. Massey notes. "Traditional reimbursement models have by and large allowed provider organizations to charge incrementally for everything they do," says Mr. Massey. "This has led to a focus on things other than cost — on their markets, novel care techniques, community perceptions and attracting the best talent. Focusing on things that support volume in such an environment makes a lot of sense, particularly when the costs can largely be passed on. Would a broad focus on controlling operational costs improve the bottom line? Absolutely. Cost reductions go straight to the bottom line." ASC owners and operators simply cannot overlook costs, especially in this moment in healthcare where providers are challenged to do more with less. The healthcare industry is moving toward a pay-for-performance payment model that rewards quality care and removing inefficiencies in a practice's operations. Smoother operations lead to more satisfied stakeholders across the care continuum, an essential element in healthcare today. This paper will dive into the intricacies of process management methodologies and how ASCs can improve efficiency through automation. The major gains process management methodologies provide Technology is a core element of any functioning business today; a practice that fails to integrate technology successfully will find it exceedingly difficult to stay competitive. The plethora of technological platforms available on the market provides physicians a wealth of data to drive clinical decision-making. However, sifting through the massive amounts of data to decipher what is valuable to a patient's individualized plan may be challenging for providers, and may deter them for wanting to implement new systems. Mr. Massey explains process management methodologies give providers the appropriate data at the right time to make better informed clinical decisions. "We [IBSS] don't just care about what information a clinician needs – we care about when they need it, about how they get access to it and how they even know it exists. Better integrated data means nothing if we expect people to go on a fishing expedition on the off chance there might be some information available to them useful to the task at hand," he explains. "Process management techniques are about looking first at what people are doing, anticipating what they will need and making sure they have just what they need, when they need it." Improving communication and satisfaction Ineffective communication between team members can lose practices money and compromise patient safety. CRICO Strategies researchers analyzed 7,149 communication cases between two or more healthcare providers and found

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