by Holly Hayes
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) annual meeting is being held in New Orleans this week. Yesterday, Marshall Baker, CEO of Physician Advisory Services, Boise, Idaho, led a discussion about Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) and the opportunities available to surgeons despite that accreditation requirements for ASCs are getting stricter.
Communication is key to a successful ASC, Baker said, explaining that no one should walk in on a Monday morning and be surprised by any changes. Also, he said physicians need to know upfront that bad behavior is not tolerated—even if they are the ASC’s top revenue producer.
He suggested that ASCs conduct frequent satisfaction surveys of patients and area doctors, and said it was especially helpful to ask the physician community if they would refer patients to the ASC and, if not, why not.
Another tip Baker passed along was to conduct frequent drills so staff will know exactly what to do in case of a fire, power outage, attempted child abduction or if a patient or patient family member becomes disruptive.
He also said it’s a good idea to have employees navigate the facility in a wheelchair to test its accessibility.
Once again, the communication themes among caregivers, patients, families and the community, as well as zero tolerance of disruptive behavior in the medical setting, point toward an important role for conflict resolution skills development in healthcare personnel. We welcome your thoughts on this topic.
Holly Hayes is a mediator at Karl Bayer, Dispute Resolution Expert where she focuses on mediation of health care disputes. Holly holds a B.A. from Southern Methodist University and a Masters in Health Administration from Duke University. She can be reached at holly@karlbayer.com.
