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2013
Awards
we have a lot of
MEETING DEMAND
Business is booming, but
credibility with the
Dr. Smith isn't concerned
surgeons. We can
about being overwhelmed. If it happens,
have those conversa'other entrepreneurs will
tions, and they know
realize there is a market
we have the patients'
for what we've done, and
will step up and do it, too.'
interests at heart,
and the overall wellbeing of the facility
at heart.
"Anybody who's
dealing with taking
money from the federal government is a
little bit behind the
8-ball, too. Those are
2 big obstacles."
To Dr. Smith's delight, one facility that's become an ally is neighboring Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City.
"Their administrator sat right here and said: 'What can I do to help
you? Can you do anything to help us?'" says Dr. Smith. "So we're
working together on some price transparency issues. It's exciting.
They have an ER, an ICU — they're a full-service hospital. I get
requests on the Internet all the time for cases that are inpatient cases
that we can't do here, and I refer them over there. And they're quoting
me prices. If we do an overnight stay and the patient needs another
day or 2 to sleep it off after their surgery, they've made their facility
available for that, with per-day pricing.
"We're not making any money out of the deal,"
S E P T E M B E R 2013 | 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
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