Assignment: AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTER CASE STUDY

In the final project, students will apply the knowledge gained in this course to a case example.

Each student will select a SPECIFIC real Ambulatory Surgery Center and apply one of the scenarios below and develop a 10-12 slide PowerPoint presentation to discuss the current status of the organization, provide an overview of the organization, and make recommendations on how to manage the selected problem. You must include one or more slides that address the degree to which the Affordable Care Act might impact these services. Use APA formatting references and your reference slides. For this presentation, your title slide does not have to be in APA format.

Info on ASC's here:

http://www.ascassociation.org/

SCENARIO OPTIONS. Pick one of the scenarios below. Your role is the manager in charge of an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). Restate the problem you are addressing. Make some logical assumptions. Make brief recommendations as to a reasonable solution to the problem in the scenario.

POINT OF CLARIFICATION: You will use an established independent ASC for either of the four scenarios listed below. Your presentation should be drafted as the administrator of the surgery center working to address one of the four scenarios to the CEO or Board of Directors of the ASC. In your response, please be sure to address all components of the scenario.

• One of the greatest challenges facing ASCs is maintaining and increasing volume. With all the external pressures, i.e. physicians pressured to become employees, mergers, decreasing payments from insurers, etc. - ASCs are challenged to keep physicians motivated to increase the number of cases and keep patients satisfied. What are some strategies you would use to increase referrals to your ASC while maintaining high patient satisfaction scores?

• Another challenge facing ambulatory surgery centers is the recruitment of new physicians. Following a national trend, many local hospitals and health systems are purchasing physician practices, which could eventually lead to doctors referring surgical cases to a hospital's same day surgery department. Assuming there is ample opportunity to increase surgical volume, how do you intend to recruit physicians to practice via your ASC? What are some strategies/offerings you could employ?

• The ASC you are currently managing is experiencing out of network challenges. Additionally, the proposed reimbursement rates from payers do not match Medicare rates for your market. Most of your ASC contracts are based on the Medicare fee schedule and because many of your surgeries are not on that schedule, you have to negotiate a fee schedule on a case-by-case basis. What strategies could you employ as you work with payors to contract for reasonable rates that could save you both money in the short term?

• In this changing environment, you are required to do more with less. Reimbursement rates are declining; supply and implant costs, taxes, utilities, rent, salaries and benefits and other operating costs are increasing and there are more regulatory requirements i.e., increased standards for accreditation (Joint Commission's additional requirements as an example), ICD-10, adoption of an EHR, etc. Additionally, your staff is wearing multiple hats; many working to register, bill, code, schedule and assist with back house operations. What strategies and tools can you implement to increase productivity.