FEATURE
demic levels, Russell says “Technology is going to continue to play a vital and likely increasing role in our efforts to effectively and safely support patients and staff during the health crisis.” The pandemic is encouraging ASCs
to take a closer look at how adopting technology can help address present and future challenges, says Christo- pher Burns, managing partner and chief information officer for Dedicated IT in Palm Beach, Florida. “The surgery centers we work with … are appreciat- ing how technology can help minimize exposure and deliver added benefits.”
L
imiting close face-to-face contact with individuals not in your house- hold is considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be the most effective way of reducing the spread of COVID-19. Since practicing social distancing was identified as an essen- tial action to combat the novel corona- virus, ASCs like Skyway Surgery Center in Chico, California, have grown more reliant on technology to decrease the fre- quency of contact between patients and staff without sacrificing quality of care and operational efficiency. “Technology has helped our ASC
with many aspects of care and com- munication,” says Marie Yarborough, CASC, Skyway's administrator. “In this situation, with our ASC’s rules and practices undergoing regular changes, communication becomes even more critical as everyone is waiting for direc-
tion and instruction. By communicat- ing guidelines via technology, you get your information out fast and reduce the potential for confusion.”
Beth Russell, RN, says technology has been invaluable during the pan- demic for Knoxville Orthopaedic Sur- gery Center (KOSC) in Knoxville, Ten- nessee, where she works as executive director. The ASC was forced to cancel more than 800 elective cases when the initial shutdown was announced. KOSC used its electronic medical records sys- tem to track these patients and resched- ule their procedures when elective surgery resumed. Electronic communi- cations kept staff informed about devel- opments concerning the virus, unem- ployment matters and changes to ASC policies, among others. As the ASC’s surgical schedule and staffing return closer to their pre-pan-
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At Skyway, the use of text messaging, which supplements phone calls, has helped further cut down on the num- ber and length of interactions between patients and staff. “We text and call patients to advise them of our limita- tions in our waiting rooms,” Yarbor- ough says. “When patients are ready for discharge, we call their family members to pick them up. Long gone are the days when family members wait for their loved ones in the waiting room.” The ASC also provides details about its COVID-19 response and new safety measures on its website. KOSC is increasingly leveraging secure email for patient communica- tions. For example, the ASC emails its patients an information sheet that explains the center's COVID-19-re- lated preadmission requirements. Russell says KOSC is further encour- aging patients to use the ASC's pay- ment portal to reduce the need for in- person collections.
“Portals are being used with great success to limit patient exposure and provide ASCs with secure ways to com- municate with patients,” Burns says. KOSC’s surgeons and patients are benefitting from separate technology implemented during the pandemic. “Our affiliated clinic was already looking at telehealth platforms,” Rus- sell says. “The crisis sped the process
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