FEATURE


we perform surgery in the ASC— which is on only about one out of 10 patients—we are confident that we are making the right decision. We became so confident that we decided to put our money where our mouth is and offer a spine surgery warranty.” The warranty essentially states that


if a patient who undergoes spine sur- gery continues to have pain that the procedure was intended to treat or if there are failures associated with the surgery, such as hardware failure, infection or failed fusion, Deuk Spine Institute and the ASC will absorb the costs associated with addressing those problems, Deukmedjian says. “We take on the financial risk of a


Standing Behind Their Work


ASCs offer warranties and guarantees BY ROBERT KURTZ


T


o stay ahead of the curve in a highly competitive market, some


ASCs offer warranties and guaranties on their services. “Patients are increasingly shopping around for their health care services,” says Gayle R. Evans, RN, CASC, pres- ident of ASC consulting firm Con- tinuum Healthcare Consultants in Kennesaw, Georgia. “Providing a guar- antee on the quality of those services is a way to catch the attention of prospec- tive patients. If an ASC is confident in its ability to deliver positive and predictable outcomes, a guarantee on such results could be a differentiator in a competitive market, and it certainly makes for good marketing material.”


Deuk Spine Institute’s Warranty After many years of performing spi- nal surgery, Ara Deukmedjian, MD (a.k.a. “Dr. Deuk”), a neurospine sur- geon with Deuk Spine Institute in Mel-


14 ASC FOCUS SEPTEMBER 2015


Patients deserve it. It can give them even greater confidence in their providers.”


— Ara Deukmedjian, MD Deuk Spine Institute


bourne and Surgery Center of Viera, both located in Melbourne, Florida, says the data he gathered showed that when patients underwent surgery to alleviate back and/or neck pain, the outcome supported the decision to per- form the procedure. “We have very predictable out-


comes for spinal surgery, with a suc- cess rate of over 95 percent for getting rid of pain, and with very low rates of infections and complications,” he says. “We have learned how to effec- tively treat back and neck pain. When


failure but all of those potential failures of surgery are treatable,” he says. “They are treatable by the staff we already have employed, and are treatable in our ASC or orthopedic urgent care center. If a patient needs therapy, medications, diagnostic imaging, home nursing, revision surgery or anything else to eliminate the pain, we will provide these services. If we cannot provide the services needed, we will contract them out at no cost to the patient. “Deuk Spine Institute began to offer


the warranty in early 2015. The war- ranty is included when the performing surgeon and ASC receive payment in full—from the patient or payer—for services rendered. “Depending upon the age of the patient and the complex- ity of the surgery, the included war- ranty is anywhere between one and five years,” Deukmedjian says. “The warranty can be extended for addi- tional years for a low, per-year cost.” There are numerous benefits to


providing a warranty, he adds. “In the event that a patient needs treatment following surgery, we coordinate the care, which builds efficiencies and eliminates the


administrative costs


associated with working through a payer to receive approval for treatment,” he says. “The warranty even allows us


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