At the 11th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference on June 13, Robin Fowler, MD, and Stephen Rosenbaum discussed strategies for a successful pain management-driven ambulatory surgery center. Dr. Fowler is the chairman and medical director for Interventional Management Services, and Mr. Rosenbaum serves as the company’s chief executive officer. In a session titled “Regional Market Strategies for Pain Management,” the two detailed approaches that have helped their business thrive.
Here are four keys from Dr. Fowler and Mr. Rosenbaum to staying ahead of the market curve.
1. Run an integrated facility. Dr. Fowler recommends rotating all staff members, both clinical and non-clinical, through the operating room to help coders and billers better understand what they are coding for more accurate claims. “Anytime you compartmentalize your employees, you get only bad outcomes,” he said.
Physicians should also know about the insurance portions of their practice so they can better stay within insurance guidelines and local coverage determinations. For optimal billing and collecting, ASCs need their physicians to know what is involved, he said.
2. Do as much in-house business work as possible. Legal and business consultants are crucial to helping pain management ASCs get started and operate appropriately. However, Dr. Fowler said, center leaders should be learning from consultants to be able to do the best work in the center without the additional consulting costs.
3. Be transparent about costs and operations. Make sure everyone is in the loop through fiscal and operational transparency, Dr. Fowler said. Work with individual physician strengths and emphasize provider education. Everyone from physicians to front office employees should be aware of costs and work to keep them as low as possible.
4. Emphasize a team approach. Pain physicians often operate at their own facilities, so ASCs should emphasize the team mentality of their operation. Make sure all physicians attend board meetings to limit individual isolation and increase cooperation, Dr. Fowler said. A team approach keeps all physicians on the same page working toward a common goal.
Here are four keys from Dr. Fowler and Mr. Rosenbaum to staying ahead of the market curve.
1. Run an integrated facility. Dr. Fowler recommends rotating all staff members, both clinical and non-clinical, through the operating room to help coders and billers better understand what they are coding for more accurate claims. “Anytime you compartmentalize your employees, you get only bad outcomes,” he said.
Physicians should also know about the insurance portions of their practice so they can better stay within insurance guidelines and local coverage determinations. For optimal billing and collecting, ASCs need their physicians to know what is involved, he said.
2. Do as much in-house business work as possible. Legal and business consultants are crucial to helping pain management ASCs get started and operate appropriately. However, Dr. Fowler said, center leaders should be learning from consultants to be able to do the best work in the center without the additional consulting costs.
3. Be transparent about costs and operations. Make sure everyone is in the loop through fiscal and operational transparency, Dr. Fowler said. Work with individual physician strengths and emphasize provider education. Everyone from physicians to front office employees should be aware of costs and work to keep them as low as possible.
4. Emphasize a team approach. Pain physicians often operate at their own facilities, so ASCs should emphasize the team mentality of their operation. Make sure all physicians attend board meetings to limit individual isolation and increase cooperation, Dr. Fowler said. A team approach keeps all physicians on the same page working toward a common goal.