MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Health Care Consumerism: Are You Ready? W


hether you are working with a single independent consumer or a rep- resentative from a workplace sponsored plan, today’s consumers are seeking decreased cost, increased quality and an improved experience in their health care encounters. How well are you prepared to meet their demands? Is your organization agile enough to respond to the future expectations of those who will control their health care decisions? During engagement—the first encounter your ASC has either in person or by


phone with a patient or their advocate—will your staff be on their toes or their heels? Will their response generate high patient satisfaction scores, exceed expec- tations and be responsive to questions about pricing, your facility’s quality metrics and the experience your ASC has had with the condition presented? How do you balance all the needs of both your patients and your staff? Patients are assessing the ability of your center on how your staff responds. Your staff needs informa- tion, access to data, tables of CPT codes and grids to follow the payer for groupers, carve-outs and unlisted procedures. That process is already complicated; now your staff has to translate all those variables to the patient. To be able to meet the needs of health care consumers in the future, ASCs must be prepared, knowledgeable and able to communicate their message clearly to patients and their family members who help them decide where to get the care they need. We are past the time that a patient will follow a physi- cian’s order without inquiring about price and quality data. Arming your staff with data and answers to common questions regarding the cases performed at your center will create a positive initial encounter. Focus- ing on communications will make each question a patient or family member asks an opportunity for your staff to share information, educate patients about their health care and provide training, but only if your staff have access to the data they need to respond properly. Clear and concise communications will put your patients at ease and allow them to see there is an entire team at your center focused on their care. Because most providers cannot yet quote exact prices or describe all the con-


ditions that affect pricing, instilling a culture that promotes trust and goes the next mile to assist your customers—your patients—with information, great attitudes and impeccable customer service is essential. If you are not experiencing patients’ inquiries on price and quality and


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have not formulated processes to address these questions, chances are you are losing patients.


Let’s make a difference in health care, one case at a time.


Larry Taylor, CASC President of ASCA’s Board of Directors


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ASC FOCUS JANUARY 2019 | ascfocus.org


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