8 S U P P L E M E N T T O 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 A U G U S T 2 0 1 6
replacement and discuss which patients are best suited to undergo the proce-
dures at the ASC and which should have their joints replaced in the hospital,
based on their insurance coverage and comorbidities.
Ms. Schneider says most of the patients who attend the events aren't candi-
dates to undergo surgery in the ASC, so the grassroots marketing has been an
opportunity to grow the hospital's overall case volume. She's also used the meet-
ings to promote the hospital's rapid-recovery program, which is designed for
Medicare beneficiaries and patients with comorbidities who are borderline can-
didates for the outpatient setting. St. Cloud Hospital touts its ability to recover
patients overnight and have them ready for discharge the morning after surgery.
It's a niche program they can offer that the surgery center can't. "There will
always be patients who have to stay overnight, especially with the increasing
number of obese and sicker patients we're seeing," says Ms. Schneider.
Skin in the game
St. Cloud Surgical Center is currently in negotiations to partner with St. Cloud
Hospital and, if all goes according to plan, the hospital would become a minori-
ty owner in the center by the end of the year. Dr. Nessler hopes that having the
facilities closely aligned in the future will let them both focus more on growing
overall outpatient procedural volume. "Our idea is to make sure that we move
the appropriate patients to the surgery center," he explains. "That will offload
cases to a less costly venue and free up capacity in the hospital as inpatient vol-
ume continues to increase. There's a lot of room for growth on the outpatient
"There will always be patients
who have to stay overnight."
— Naomi Schneider, MBA, RN, ONC
