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How to Prepare for 2021 Q&A with ASCA Board member Stuart Simon, MD


Stuart Simon, MD, is the medical director for United Surgical Part- ners International (USPI) in Dallas, Texas, which owns and operates more than 400 ambulatory facilities. He is a practicing anesthesiologist and chair- man of the department of anesthesiol- ogy at North Central Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas, and serves on ASCA's Board of Directors.


Going into 2021, what is your outlook for the ASC industry?


Stuart Simon (SS): Incredibly posi- tive. We are seeing a shift toward more patients moving to the ASC setting. We can do higher complexity and acu- ity cases, which has been borne out over time. This shift is being driven by patients who view the ambulatory set- ting as more comfortable and easier to navigate. They also recognize the effi- ciency of coming to a smaller facility. Providers are also driving that shift.


They recognize the quality and con- venience of the setting. Many ASCs have evolved into centers of excel- lence because they have a core group of likeminded people driving quality to a high level.


What do you believe will be the most significant


challenges facing ASCs this year? SS: Top of mind is COVID-19 and con- tinuing to manage through this unprec- edented pandemic. Considering ASCs had never seen anything like COVID- 19, there was concern with how we would limit the transmission of the disease. The ASC Quality Collabora- tion gathered data on more than 84,000 patients who received care at ASCs nationwide from mid-March through the end of April. Only 16 patients con- verted to COVID-19 positive follow- ing their procedures. We do not know if they acquired the virus inside or out-


Stuart Simon, MD


Many ASCs have evolved into centers of excellence because they have a core group of likeminded people driving quality to a high level.”


—Stuart Simon, MD, USPI


side the ASC. This speaks to how well ASCs have managed for COVID-19, and for USPI, we have had no con- firmed surgical cases of COVID- 19 acquired during the perioperative period in our facilities.


The other big challenge is adapt-


ing to the increasing volume shift— not just the number of patients but the increasing acuity and complexity of cases. Consider that the only patients treated in ASCs for decades were the healthiest of healthy patients. Now we are seeing and managing a fuller spec- trum with extraordinary quality.


What should ASCs do to overcome such challenges?


SS: There is a triad. First, we need to push our patient-centered culture. That component of our industry cannot be


36 ASC FOCUS JANUARY 2021 | ascfocus.org


overstated. As procedures grow in complexity and volume, our processes must be focused on maintaining our commitment to always do what is in the best interests of our patients. The second arm of that


triad is


training. The advances and changes in healthcare are unbelievable, making it critical that we continue providing doctors and frontline staff with the lat- est training.


Third, if you look at where compro- mises occur in any industry, it is often around communication. Driving com- munication across the enterprise may be the single most important thing we can do.


Given the considerable uncertainty for the year


ahead, what should ASCs be doing now to prepare? SS: Continue doing what we do best. ASCs have always been a bastion of caregiving. We must always be able to fall back on our rigorous adherence to processes, not only processes associ- ated with COVID-19 but also our stan- dard operating procedures. We must also be hypervigilant


about burnout. COVID-19 has been an enormous stressor that has highlighted existing stressors. We must be mindful of looking after our internal families.


Finish this sentence: To have a successful 2021, ASCs must . . .


SS: . . . be adaptable. Adaptability is the key to survival in our ecosystem. We must continue to drive our culture of caring. Every stakeholder must play their role in caring for patients. Finally, we must maintain strong alignment with our healthcare system partners. When we work together and enhance each other, everyone wins, especially patients.


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