In the recent times, the ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) have become popular and are growing in numbers. They are establishing their place in the American healthcare space as cost-effective healthcare providers with services that match the best in the healthcare field. Like all organizations, the ambulatory surgery centers also are going through few challenges which are outlined here.
Low volume: Though the ambulatory surgery centers are increasing in numbers and increasing their services, the volume of cases with ambulatory surgery centers is a challenge yet. Even though it is true, that high volumes need not provide success, it is also equally true that low volumes in any kind of business result in failure over a period of time.
Relationship with Insurance Payer: To get a high volume of cases, it is necessary that the ambulatory surgery centers get insurance companies on board. In spite of the fact that the ambulatory surgery centers provide the best services at comparatively lower costs the insurance companies do not come forward to promote them which is indirectly resulting in more payments from insurance companies for the same services offered at other hospitals or healthcare facilities. This is not a good sign for both the ASCs and the insurance companies. Measures are being taken by the ambulatory surgery centers to collaborate with the insurance companies in order to increase the case volume and the reimbursement through them.
Reimbursement issues: One of the major operational challenges faced by the ambulatory surgery centers are the reimbursement of the services provided and this is applicable to both Medicare and insurance companies.
Bigger hospitals: When the same surgeons working in the ambulatory surgery centers become employees in bigger hospitals, they will not be able to take up cases at their owned ASCs, which is a loss to the ASCs as the case volume gets decreased. Also, the physicians who join hospitals will not be able to refer patients to the ASCs. In such a scenario, it becomes important for ASCs to work out strategies to retain the physicians and surgeons.
Finding staff: In the face of tough competition from bigger health systems and hospitals, finding staff is also a major challenge for the ambulatory surgery centers. Ambulatory surgery centers are pretty much the same like the hospitals, with the only difference being the revenue generated. ASCs provide the same kind of services as in hospitals but without the same income levels. When services provided are at par with the hospitals, the staff is also required on the same levels to complement the work. However, due to revenue shortages, ASCs require multifunctional specialists who can fill in many roles in the ASC, which is rather difficult.
Regulatory compliance: With so many operational challenges, there comes another administrative challenge in the form of regulatory compliance which again requires staff that is dedicated to taking care of the regulatory issues of the ASCs.
With these many challenges, maintaining electronic health records also should not be an issue for the ambulatory surgery centers. For this reason, choose Avontix the best provider of EHR solutions in Hyderabad. To provide the best EHR solutions to the ambulatory surgery centers, we have EZchart, a complete chart management solution that is designed to bring efficiency and savings to the ASC patient records management.
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