Hospital Outpatient Department & Ambulatory Surgery Center Case Study

Since outpatient surgical facilities have a lower risk of infection and provide quality care at a lower price, it’s no wonder they continue to grow in popularity. Sullivan Healthcare Consulting has partnered with many hospitals and physicians in developing and managing their ambulatory surgery center (ASCs). Our projects have ranged from single-room, physician-based facilities to multi-specialty joint ventures.

The Client

Learn how Sullivan consultants assisted a large Midwestern hospital struggling to resolve operational and staffing issues with a growing case volume at its ASC.

The Challenge

• Absence of a clear strategic plan to address increased case volume

• Surgeon resistance to the transition of outpatient cases to the ambulatory facility from the hospital main OR

• General surgeons who wanted to complete outpatient cases at the hospital while taking acute-care surgery calls

How Our Consultants Increased Operational Efficiency & Staff Satisfaction

Our ASC consultants partnered with the hospital’s leadership to implement the following:

• Established a Perioperative Executive Committee (PEC) to improve daily operations and developed detailed strategic and operational objectives for the transition of specific outpatient surgery cases and commensurate specialty-specific surgery program growth

• Ensured that both the hospital OR and the ASC had strong representation on the PEC

• Formed a Surgeon Advisory Group (SAG) to provide input on changes to department policies, processes, and workflows. This group was also instrumental in the selection of outpatient procedures to transition to the ASC and addressing specific surgeon concerns.

• Implemented several performance improvement task forces to address scheduling and efficiencies

• Transitioned to new perioperative leadership and specialty teams

Our Results

1. Stabilized and strengthened governance and the perioperative leadership team

2. Increased first case on-time starts from 46% to a sustained 92%

3. Increased utilization of the ASC from 42% to 84% during the day

4. Opened up 14 hours per week of block time for new surgeons and new inpatient volume

5. Resolved sterile processing department (SPD) quality issues

6. Transitioned ophthalmology, ENT, and most general surgery procedures to the ASC successfully

7. Expanded additional urology and orthopedic cases

8. Increased case volume and helped with planning to open two additional ORs

The client was so satisfied with our results that the project was later expanded to include interim leadership and ongoing leadership support to implement additional improvements.

Sullivan Implementation Support

During implementation, our consultants provide hospital administration with a list of quantitative measurements that identify where they started, six-month goals, and long-term/final goals. Our team of experts can ensure that the implementation of recommendations will result in a more-than-adequate return on investment.

To learn more about our ASC services and how Sullivan can help improve your organization’s performance, contact us today.

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