Kevin Calisher - Ideas For A Healthier ASC Revenue Cycle

During the course of a career in healthcare consulting that stretches back to the late 1990s, Kevin Calisher has been involved in the design, development and management of a number of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The financial health of such facilities is crucial if they are to offer quality services, so keep the following in mind to improve the revenue cycle at an ASC.

Trim The Fat

Many ASCs make the mistake of incorporating bloated business offices on the premises, which often results in money being wasted on areas of the facility that are not directly related to the service being provided to patients. Place careful consideration into the size of your business offices and make sure they operate at full capacity. A business office that is not working to improve the ASC at all times is one that may be a little bloated.

No Procrastination

If you think revenue may be an issue in your ASC, you need to start doing something about it as quickly as possible. Procrastination leads to the issue going unaddressed, which results in problems further down the line. Start taking steps towards making improvements from the moment you identify a problem.

Cut Out The Inefficiencies

There are many issues that may make an ASC less efficient. Poor coding in your systems could result in more time being spent recording data than is needed. A bad accounting system can lead to incorrect bills being provided, resulting in delayed payments. All of these inefficiencies will have an effect on the revenue generated by the ASC.

Kevin Calisher is an experienced healthcare consultant.

Kevin Calisher - Patient Safety Tips For Healthcare Facilities

Having been a healthcare consultant since the late 1990s, Kevin Calisher has a deep understanding of the importance of patient safety in all healthcare facilities. This should be a main priority for everybody, from those involved in the design and development of such facilities through to the physicians who will be working in them. The following are some useful patient safety tips that you should aim to follow.

Educate Patients
Many patients leave medical facilities, particularly surgical centers, with unclear ideas about what they need to do to ensure they enjoy good recovery periods. A focus on patient education reduces the risk. Focus on issues like the proper use of blood thinners and the importance of getting dosages correct. Poorly-educated patients are likely to end up back at the facility, which hampers the recovery process.

Use Good Design Principles
Patient safety should be considered from the moment you start designing blueprints for a medical facility. You can prevent injury by designing good patient rooms that present little opportunity for trips and spills. Other principles, such as creating centralized and easy-to-access nurse’s stations, must also be considered. You also need to provide well-lit, quiet spaces where physicians and pharmacists can do their work without distraction.

Constantly Analyze
You need to build a safety culture into your facility, which means designing and implementing a plan for all staff to follow. This is not all you need to do though, as it is crucial that you constantly measure performance against a number of key metrics. This will allow you to see where improvement is needed.

Kevin Calisher is the President of Calisher & Associates, Inc.

Kevin Calisher - Tips For Designing an ASC

During his time at Calisher & Associates, Inc., Kevin Calisher has been responsible for the design and development of a number of medical facilities, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). This is a very involved process and there are a lot of things that can go wrong if you take your eyes of the ball. The following are useful pointers for those who want to design the best ASCs possible.

Listen To Clinical Staff
Your clinical staff are the ones who are going to spend the most amount of time in the ASC so it is crucial that you listen to what they have to say. Talk to them about their workflows, how they interact with patients and what the ASC needs to have to make them more efficient. If you fail to include your clinical staff you may find you end up with a design that doesn’t suit their needs.

Create Multiple Designs
You may have a favored design in mind, but committing to one idea without considering others could lead to you failing to see potential improvements. Create multiple designs and discuss them with all involved in the project. While there may be a clear favorite, you will likely find that some aspects of other designs can be incorporated into the chosen one to create a more cohesive whole.

Consider Future Expansion
Future growth should be considered at all times, so the design you follow needs to be scalable as and when needed. This may involve building new facilities or taking them from the businesses next door as and when the time arises.

Kevin Calisher has overseen the development of numerous ASCs.