important to remember that many patients had been avoiding need-
ed surgeries for financial reasons, even before COVID-19 hit. In a
coronavirus world, it will be critical for outpatient surgery centers
to tout the many benefits of undergoing surgery in outpatient ORs,
according to Mr. Gruebele.
The entire outpatient surgery community can unite behind promot-
ing the standard industry talking points of efficient care, low readmis-
sion rates and lower risks of infection. "The is a great opportunity for
outpatient facilities to differentiate themselves from inpatient settings
not only on the clinical front, but from ease-of-process and conven-
ience perspectives," says Mr. Gruebele.
The messaging for hospital outpatient departments will be different
than for ambulatory surgery centers. HOPDs will have to focus on the
additional steps they've taken to contain the coronavirus and keep it
out of perioperative areas. ASCs can highlight that they're not treating
COVID-19 patients, and specialize in performing the very surgeries
their patients need.
"While quality of care, good outcomes and a good patient experi-
ences always come first, the outpatient surgery industry must adopt a
consumeristic approach and start to view the people they serve as
customers as well as patients," says Mr. Gruebele. "If you can't get a
patient in the door because you don't know how to market to their
financial pain points right now, you've got problems."
More facilities should consider paid advertising campaigns extolling
the benefits of same-day surgery. "If surgery centers don't start differ-
entiating themselves in their markets and offer specific reasons that
show patients how eager they are to do business with them, they
might not have a market left to position themselves in," says Mr.
Gruebele.
OSM
Business Advisor
BA
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