FEATURE
surgery,” he says. “If the front office does not remind patients of the need for a driver and a patient arrives without one arranged, that can really clog things up in postop and slow down discharge.”
Right People in the Right Role It is important for ASCs to make sure that their front-end staff members are performing tasks most appropriate for their job and skill set, Goehle says. De- viation from this could lead to confu- sion and dissatisfaction. “I have seen ASCs not want to as-
sign or hire a nurse to make preop calls,” he says. “They are not neces- sarily doing this to save money, but they are trying to keep the nurses they employ focused on clinical issues. So what is happening is patients are com- ing in and the ASC is finding there was not enough upfront work completed to
If an ASC has a strong front end . . . then it will have significant beneficial ramifications on the back end and
throughout the entire ASC.” —Tom Jacobs, MedHQ
make sure patients know what to ex- pect on the day of surgery; or they do not know how to properly prep for the procedure; or they are sick but did not have the case rescheduled. “This ends up making more work for the nurses who are conducting preop,” Goehle continues. “The ideal situation is to have a nurse contact the patient pri- or to the day of surgery not only to find out the condition of the patient but also to give them instructions in a language they would understand and be able to answer any clinical questions coming
back from the patient. A receptionist likely won’t know the right answers.” As this scenario demonstrates, suc- cess on the front end is dependent upon putting the right people in the right role and supplying them with good processes to follow, Jacobs says. “If an ASC has a strong front end—one that is thought through carefully with good planning, strategizing and executing— then it will have significant beneficial ramifications on the back end and throughout the entire ASC.”
22 ASC FOCUS JULY 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38