SIS’ client meeting provides education on the leading ASC cloud platform, reviews exciting new features
Surgical Information Systems (SIS) recently hosted a two-day online event for users of its SIS Cloud Solutions, including SIS Complete, the ASC Software that has become the choice of 1000+ ASCs.
This event was designed to help SIS Complete users get the most out of their cloud solution and familiarize them with additional resources and services SIS provides to help support their ASCs. Attendees experienced a robust agenda including:
- A behind-the-scenes look at the SIS Complete Roadmap
- Best practices for SIS Office, SIS Charts, and SIS Exchange
- A deep dive into how SIS Complete supports case costing
- A review of the SIS Support process and additional resources provided by the Cloud Services Team
- An overview of SIS Complete’s robust interface capabilities
- A Q&A session with the SIS team
Throughout the event, attendees heard from SIS’s experts in Product Management, Clinical Solutions, Support & Services, and Interface Services who share a collective 200+ years of experience in the ASC industry.
Tips & Optimizations for SIS Users
The primary focus of the event was providing best practices for users of SIS Cloud solutions. Prior to the event, attendees had the opportunity to submit topics they wanted to learn more about at the event.
The first session, hosted by Daren Smith, VP of ASC Solutions, led a session for SIS Office users focused on case coordination, electronic case requests using SIS Link, and eligibility. Attendees were particularly eager to dig into the case coordination functionality which allows staff inside and outside of the surgery center to coordinate together on a case.
Case coordination uses a methodology similar to modern social media platforms (think “posts” and “mentions”). Users can coordinate with other surgery center staff, or they can set up external users such as vendors, supply reps, or physician’s office staff to coordinate on cases without exposing them to sensitive patient information.
Smith also spent time reviewing patient eligibility workflows in SIS Office and how the Financial Clearance functionality is designed to automate and enhance the workflow of insurance verification and the production of patient estimates.
Next, Smith hosted a session to share best practices for SIS Charts electronic clinical documentation. Smith shared best practices for ensuring chart completion in SIS Charts and monitoring specimens taken during surgery and how the results flow back into SIS Charts.
Attendees were particularly intrigued by the mobile capabilities that allow staff to access SIS Charts from their mobile device. Mobile views vary based on a user’s role. For example, a physician can log into SIS Charts from their mobile device to see their case schedule and review charts for their cases. They can review attachments, consents, and op notes, sign unsigned orders, and access case coordination.
The ability for clinical staff to access the system from their mobile device, whether they are in the surgery center, out of town attending a conference, or working from the comfort of their own home, has been a huge satisfier for staff across the center. “I can’t wait to teach our providers about the mobile capabilities,” shared one attendee.
To round out day 1, Mike Scheidegger, Product Manager for the SIS Complete Patient and Physician Engagement Solutions, covered best practices for the SIS Exchange patient portal. By using SIS Exchange, centers can interact directly with patients by having them complete PreOp and PostOp questionnaires, review instructions and reminders, receive estimates, and more, all without having to create and remember a separate login and password.
Scheidegger shared tips for centers to not only help drive patient adoption of the patient portal but also to maximize the benefits of using the patient portal. Scheidegger encouraged attendees to review the patient questionnaires on a regular basis and assess whether the questions asked and how they are worded are allowing them to get all the information they need from their patients.
“Most patients don’t have the clinical knowledge that you do,” shared Scheidegger. “Even if a patient has a pre-existing condition, they may not always understand that you’re asking them to share it. Doing something as simple as listing examples next to a question can help. For example, when you ask if they have had heart problems, listing things such as hypertension or high blood pressure in addition to heart attacks or heart disease can help you get the much-needed information out of them and save you time downstream.”
“The SIS Exchange walkthrough was very insightful,” shared one attendee. “We’ll be reviewing our messages and questionnaire settings to enhance our use of SIS Exchange.”
Understanding the Cost of Every Case
Case Costing has been a hot topic for ASCs over the last several years and was a topic of great interest among event attendees. Daren Smith reviewed how centers can use SIS Complete to support case costing, including how to build a budget, how to set up inventory workflows to make sure your supply costs are properly reflected, and how to use the reporting functionality in SIS Complete to assist with case costing.
“Case Costing in the surgery center industry is the unicorn everyone has been chasing,” shared Smith. “It doesn’t just help you see whether you are profitable, breaking even, or losing money; it can show you WHY. It can also show what sort of cases are most profitable so you can get more of those into your centers, and which cases are losing your center money so you can send those elsewhere.”
A Peek Behind the Curtain
The highlight of the event was a review of new features planned for the SIS Complete platform, led by Tom Pinelli, VP of Product Management. Pinelli began with a recap of new features and capabilities introduced over the past year, including major enhancements to SIS Charts Anesthesia and patient eligibility workflows in SIS Office. This recap included the launch of two new solutions for ASCs: SIS Advanced, a communication and engagement solution that helps enhance the productivity of ASCs, and SIS Insights, a new self-service reporting tool that allows ASCs to create, save, and share their own reports.
The First, But Not the Last
This inaugural user event was well-received among SIS Complete users and left everyone asking, “when’s the next one?”
One attendee shared, “I felt all sessions were very valuable. It was particularly valuable to know what SIS has planned in the future so I can watch for these to go live and implement them within my facility.”
“This event was in direct response to feedback from our clients who have been asking for a convenient way to learn and maximize their use of SIS Cloud products,” shared Todd Logan, Chief Growth Officer of Surgical Information Systems. “I can’t thank our clients enough for always trusting us with their feedback. Their input has not only led us to host great events like this; it’s also empowered us to build and deliver award-winning products and services to help ASCs Operate Smart.”
