A look at six ways ASC technology can help streamline case coordination.
The intricacies of coordinating a surgery begin at the physician’s office when it’s determined that a patient needs surgery, but this attention to detail carries through the entire surgical journey. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that still utilize manual phone calls, faxes, emails, and paper documentation to carry out case coordination may struggle to gain efficiencies in this area.
By implementing ASC technology that streamlines case coordination, you can significantly improve your staff’s focus and productivity while delivering exceptional patient care.
Whether you’re feeling the weight of time-consuming manual scheduling or looking to improve your patient communications, there are technologies built with ASCs in mind.
Here are 6 ways you can use ASC technology to help simplify your case coordination process:
Use electronic case requests
The first step in increasing the efficiency of your case coordination process starts before the patient has even entered the surgery center. Choosing ASC software that supports the ability to use electronic case requests can help reduce the back-and-forth discussion between the surgeon’s office and the ASC by allowing the surgeon’s office to view their schedule at the ASC, submit case requests, attach important documents, and receive update notifications. In addition, the ASC can electronically track requests and tasks with both physician offices and ASC staff.
Track tasks between the ASC and surgeon’s office
Track what work is left to be done, including unsigned cases, PreOp and PostOp calls left to be made, questionnaire completion percentage, incomplete physician items, specimen results, and more.
By tracking task completion, physician’s offices, ASC staff, and all surgery stakeholders can better facilitate case coordination. Communicate electronically with the team via text and email, and send automatic updates based on schedule changes and task status.
Take advantage of patient portals
Reduce the time your staff spend on the phones manually gathering patient information as well as the risk of input errors or duplications by using patient portals. Patient portals will give your patients a convenient way to complete PreOp and PostOp questionnaires, acknowledge surgical instructions, and view reminders electronically from their preferred device. This information can then be auto-populated into the EHR for nurse verification, allowing consistent data flow throughout the process.
Deliver patient estimates electronically
Gain a clearer view into case costing by utilizing ASC technology that allows you to pull together important case data from your center and your referring provider and prepare consolidated statements. Implementing software such as SIS Complete allows you to share detailed case information, flow this data into your revenue cycle, and efficiently move forward with sharing patient estimates as soon as you receive them. This also facilitates patient financial responsibility ahead of the day of surgery.
Give physicians on-the-go access
An innovative way to increase preparedness, expedite daily workflows, improve compliance, and enhance your overall case coordination is by giving physicians a mobile documentation option. With mobile access to their schedule, case attachments, and documents, physicians can conveniently review the important case details, and reconcile and sign off on any outstanding items. This includes operative notes, orders, case attachments, medication reconciliations, and consents, thus eliminating the need to travel to the facility to complete pending work.
Install patient tracking boards
Help improve communications and the availability of up-to-date patient information for staff and loved ones on the day of surgery by using patient tracking boards. For ASC staff, tracking boards display critical patient data, progress status, and completion details on major milestones, including whether cases are running late and where patients are currently located. For visitors, they display a unique identifier designed to help keep family and friends apprised of the patient’s progress throughout the surgical event.
Surgery centers that add ASC patient tracking technology to their PreOp, PACU, OR, and Waiting Rooms can enjoy the benefits of having all their critical patient information in one place, resulting in enhanced ASC staff productivity and peace of mind for visitors.
Manage your case coordination with SIS Complete™
With a combination of powerful tools and capabilities, SIS Complete can help build a smarter, more efficient workflow for your surgery center’s case coordination, from start to finish.
Benefits of improved case coordination include helping to:
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- Reduce the need for phone calls and faxes
- Streamline communications between the surgeon’s office and your ASC
- Eliminate manual and repetitive data entry
- Decrease the risk of miscommunication and missed documentation
- Increase staff and patient satisfaction
- Improve documentation workflows
- Enhance patient safety
To learn more about how SIS Complete can improve your case coordination (and more), check this out.
