During the shutdown, Mr. Uba reviewed reimbursement arrange-
ments with third-party payers and renegotiated the rates of the bun-
dled payments he manages for the center's outpatient total joints
program.
He also called vendors with whom he deals with regularly and had
frank conversations about the concessions he needs to ensure the
center is profitable and able to purchase their supplies over the com-
ing months. "We've leveraged the good relationships we already had
with reps," he says. "They've tried to be accommodating to our
needs. That's been nice to see."
Mr. Uba says vendors who refuse to offer discounted pricing
might be more willing to get creative with rebate programs, deferred
payment options and loans for high-end inventory or capital equip-
ment. The key is to ask. Vendors are willing to work with you to
maintain their relationships with your facility. They need you as
much as you need them.
• Flexible staffing. Staffing is among the biggest expenses of most
surgery centers. Matching staffing levels to the surgical schedule helps
to control labor costs, but doing so is a constant challenge.
Fluctuating case volumes over the past several months and the uncer-
tainty of how the pandemic will impact surgical care moving forward
has added a level of difficulty to an already difficult task.
Mr. Poole tries to rightsize his staff with a mix of full-time and
part-time employees, who were stretched thin in June when the
backlog of cases and the influx of new procedures filled MCSC to
capacity. He added needed help by building a pool of PRN
employees, whose flexible work status is now more valuable than
ever.
"Case volumes will likely dip again behind this recent surge, so
make sure your staffing model can be adjusted to accommodate
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