Matthew Ewasko, MBA, serves as Administrator at Physicians Alliance Surgery Center.
Matthew will speak at Becker's Healthcare ASC Virtual Event Part I. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the virtual event, which will take place September 30 - October 2, 2020.
To learn more about the conference and Matthew's session, click here.
Question: In the long term, how do you think the COVID-19 pandemic will affect your ASC?
Matthew Ewasko: The pandemic will push the ASC to invest heavier in technology to decrease he amount of patient/staff interaction taking place pre surgery. This will lessen the amount of time spent in the waiting room of the facility which is normally spent completing registration forms and other paperwork, while also allowing our staff to work on other items that may need their attention. Increasing the use of technology in this space will decrease the amount of face-to-face contact our registration staff had with patients when they arrived at the center. This was really noticed when we implemented our COVID safety measures and were forced to rethink how to handle this process in a safe/efficient manner for all involved.
Q: How are you managing employee satisfaction and engagement during such a difficult time?
ME: During the past several months it has been imperative to stay in touch with the staff so that they remain aware of any changes going on at the facility. We have focused on listening to their feedback on possible implementations since the staff will have different viewpoints and diagnose possible roadblocks that may have been overlooked. Actively listening to staff suggestions, and having constructive conversations, allows the staff to feel involved and engaged. The key point that we keep in mind is continuing to have staff members involved in the decision-making process regarding any possible changes at the facility.
Q: What strategies have you deployed to address and/or prevent any inventory challenges?
ME: We have remained in frequent communication with our core suppliers to stay abreast of their supply chain status. These suppliers have been helpful in keeping us up-to-date on possible fulfillment challenges, as well as suggesting alternative products that are available to us if needed. We have taken advantage of bulk spot buy opportunities when/of they arise so that we can remain supplied with the items we need for our case volume to remain uninterrupted. Our facility is also fortunate to have a great partnership with a healthcare system that has worked with us when our normal supply chain has failed. The combination of all this has allowed our facility to resume 100% block schedule capacity so that we can serve the needs of our local community.
Q: What technologies and/or techniques are the biggest time and money savers for your ASC?
ME: At the start of 2020 we launched a website redesign which included the ability for our patients to pay their bills online. This cut down on the number of phone calls our billing department handled which in turn enabled them to focus on other items during the course of the workday. We have noticed an increase in our cash flow since patients are more apt to pay their bills via a secure website than they are to mail payment back to the facility. Our new setup also enables us to set up seamless recurring payment plans that best suit the needs of our patients. This has increased our net collection rate while also decreasing the time spent on the phone trying to chase down payments. Such a simple implementation on the surface has made a big difference at our facility in only a short period of time.