FEATURE


payments. An EMR helps ASCs track these measures, meet requirements, keep patients safe, preserve their rep- utation in the community and protect their reimbursement.


Increased Patient, Physician and Staff Satisfaction


The use of an EMR does more than just improve an ASC’s operations— it increases the satisfaction of every group that uses the center. Patients: The use of an EMR helps simplify patients’ return visits because background and historical in- formation is contained and easily ac- cessible in the patient’s electronic file. Many surgery centers have reduced patient wait times by more than half by performing a quality assurance study using data tracked by the EMR. And patients talk about how they en- joy having the option of—and many now prefer—electronically filling out registration information rather than using paper forms. Even a patient’s friends and family members benefit from an EMR when they track the progress of the patient on a special, de-identified tracking screen in the waiting room. Physicians: Physicians find great


value in their ability to access sched- ules and patient charts anywhere, and in real time, through their EMR. They appreciate how the system helps im- prove efficiency, such as through the use of templates for discharge instruc- tions for specific procedures. Physi- cians also value the EMR’s built-in patient safety features, such as its ability to automatically check pre-


VOTER SURVEY


Eighty-four percent of respondents trust their physician to put a patient’s medical needs before financial gain. Source: National survey of 800 voters conducted in June 2012 by Public Opinion Strategies


16 ASC FOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012


scriptions against any current medi- cations a patient is taking for possi- ble allergies or bad interactions. And we have heard recruited physicians comment on how the ASC’s use of an


an EMR system’s implementation. These are improvements that touch all aspects of a surgery center’s opera- tions and ultimately enhance its abil- ity to provide the best care possible


ASCs can set up their EMR to remind staff members to use and follow a safe surgery checklist for every procedure.”


—Joe Macies, AmkaiSolutions


EMR—which physicians have in their practices and are already trained to use—made a particular ASC a more appealing setting for their cases. Staff: Staff members speak about


the many ways the use of an EMR helps them perform their jobs more efficiently, effectively and confidently. An EMR allows for improved track- ing of patients during visits, and the system holds everyone on the team accountable to each other for enter- ing required information. Tasks that once required many hours are now completed in significantly less time, freeing staff up to tackle other re- sponsibilities. Staff members appreci- ate no longer struggling with legibil- ity issues or scrambling to find single pieces of paper.


Making the Switch


These are just some of the ways we have seen patients, physicians and staff members benefit from their ASC’s investment in an EMR. The in- vestment is one that is easily justified by the many short- and long-term im- provements an ASC can achieve with


to its patients; a healthy, productive work environment for its staff; and an efficient facility that delivers strong returns to its owners. So why should your ASC consider


switching to an EMR? One consultant we work with—Charlie Immordino of Ambulatory Surgery Center Consul- tants—may have put it best when he said, “Any organization that is not us- ing an EMR will ultimately be spend- ing more money to get inferior results.” Surgery centers must constantly strive to be superior if they want to survive and thrive, and an EMR will play a significant role in helping any ASC achieve this objective.


Joe Macies is the chief ex- ecutive officer of AmkaiSo- lutions, a software/services provider to the ASC commu-


nity and its affiliated practices and clinics. Contact Macies at joe.macies@amkai.com.


The advice and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent official Ambulatory Surgery Center Association policy or opinion.


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