6 6 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U L Y 2 0 2 0
E
arlier this year,
Buffalo Surgery in
Amherst, N.Y.,
Center was hum-
ming along as
usual. More than 30 physicians
packed its ORs and procedure
rooms with 1,500 cases a month,
creating a constant buzz of activi-
ty and filling the reserves with a
steady stream of revenue. Life (and business) was good in Upstate
New York.
And then poof, the cases were gone. Just like that.
"We were shut down essentially overnight when COVID-19 hit," says
David Uba, MBA, the center's CEO. "It was a little unnerving."
The orthopedic-centric center lost 98% of its usual case volume over
April and May when only emergent procedures were performed.
Elective cases restarted in June, and the facility's surgeons began dig-
ging into a backlog of more than 4,000 postponed procedures, which
allowed the center to reach full capacity by the end of the month.
"Our plan is to maintain 95% capacity and run the year out," says Mr.
Uba. "We lost two-and-a-half months of revenue, and I don't think
we're going to make it up."
Sound familiar? A month ago, you were probably thrilled (and
exhausted from implementing new COVID-19 precautionary proto-
cols) to reopen your ORs and ramp up case volumes. Now you're
probably wondering how to ramp up revenues. It's going to take
Dan Cook | Editor-in-Chief
Profiting During the Pandemic
Find ways to cuts costs and increase revenues during this uncertain time.
LET'S MAKE A DEAL Work with vendor reps to find fair and
sustainable price points for supplies and equipment.
