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BUSINESS ADVISOR
see anesthesia, pathology or radiology charges?
Here's what I look at on the facility side:
• Is the surgeon credentialed to do the actual surgery, with a good
track record in this procedure?
• Did anesthesia do a complete workup on the patient, and consult
on the patient's eligibility for the outpatient setting?
• Were the appropriate pre-op tests ordered, read and interpreted
with enough time to adjust the surgical schedule if needed?
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Profitability
Safety and outcomes are mainly about patient care but, as
noted, do have business components. Profitability is sort of the flipside: You need to take care of fiscal business so you can continue to
provide great patient care.
There's too much waste in surgery finances, but that doesn't mean
you should be tempted to cut corners. Instead, assess your expenses
— 40% to 60% will fall into either supply or personnel costs.
Supply costs should be tied to production or the number and acuity of
cases performed, but take up no more than 30% of your outlay. Audit
your invoices quarterly to ensure that what you're paying matches what
you were quoted. If a surgeon wants a new piece of capital equipment,
have him present the business case. Negotiate the price, and tell him,
"This is what buying this will mean for profits. This is the best-case scenario for when we could recoup our money, and this is the worst case."
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | O C T O B E R 2012
