1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,240 This is Lauren Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:02,740 podcast. 3 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:04,719 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Sherry 4 00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:07,359 Whiting, administrator of Lakeshore Surgery Center. Sherry, it's 5 00:00:07,359 --> 00:00:08,559 a pleasure to have you on the podcast 6 00:00:08,559 --> 00:00:09,380 today. Thank you. 7 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,240 Now I'm looking forward to our discussion because 8 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,320 health care is transforming and surgery centers are 9 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,904 really in a unique position. So I'm excited 10 00:00:16,904 --> 00:00:18,504 to learn more about what you're doing at 11 00:00:18,504 --> 00:00:20,344 Lakeshore Surgery Center. But before we dive in, 12 00:00:20,344 --> 00:00:21,224 can you tell us a little bit more 13 00:00:21,224 --> 00:00:23,164 about yourself and your background? Sure. 14 00:00:23,625 --> 00:00:24,524 I'm a nurse. 15 00:00:24,984 --> 00:00:26,684 Originally, I was in business. 16 00:00:27,589 --> 00:00:29,269 I own my own home care company that 17 00:00:29,269 --> 00:00:31,269 I started from scratch, became one of the 18 00:00:31,269 --> 00:00:32,329 largest in Michigan. 19 00:00:32,789 --> 00:00:34,630 And then when I got out of that 20 00:00:34,630 --> 00:00:36,010 industry, I went into, 21 00:00:36,950 --> 00:00:40,010 surgery area at Lakeshore Surgery. I've been administrative 22 00:00:40,149 --> 00:00:41,829 for 9 years. It was a new industry 23 00:00:41,829 --> 00:00:44,434 for me. It's been really fun and exciting. 24 00:00:44,574 --> 00:00:46,494 But I took my skills and my business 25 00:00:46,494 --> 00:00:46,994 acumen 26 00:00:47,375 --> 00:00:48,994 from 1 and took it to the other. 27 00:00:49,214 --> 00:00:50,914 That's amazing to hear. Now, 28 00:00:51,695 --> 00:00:54,574 from the surgery center perspective, ASC volume across 29 00:00:54,574 --> 00:00:56,574 the country is expected to increase by around 30 00:00:56,574 --> 00:00:57,074 16%, 31 00:00:58,070 --> 00:00:58,890 by 2032. 32 00:00:59,269 --> 00:00:59,670 So 33 00:01:00,070 --> 00:01:01,449 Mhmm. With this in mind, 34 00:01:01,909 --> 00:01:03,269 and this type of growth, what are some 35 00:01:03,269 --> 00:01:05,189 of the most pressing challenges to maintain a 36 00:01:05,189 --> 00:01:06,489 positive patient experience? 37 00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:10,310 Yes. I think one of the best things 38 00:01:10,310 --> 00:01:12,149 about our surgery center is we have a 39 00:01:12,149 --> 00:01:12,649 99% 40 00:01:13,694 --> 00:01:14,995 satisfaction for customers. 41 00:01:15,534 --> 00:01:17,935 And the 1% isn't really our fault. It's 42 00:01:17,935 --> 00:01:20,655 like the building's front desk person or something 43 00:01:20,655 --> 00:01:23,055 like that. So we've really established that engagement 44 00:01:23,055 --> 00:01:24,355 with our customers already. 45 00:01:24,974 --> 00:01:26,174 And I think that has to be a 46 00:01:26,174 --> 00:01:27,935 part of your culture if you're gonna maintain 47 00:01:27,935 --> 00:01:30,000 that long term. It's the same with our 48 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,400 our staff. Maybe we only have a 1% 49 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,680 turnover rate. Wow. So it's about engaging with 50 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:37,540 them. And I think that's the secret, 51 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:39,620 you know, for growth, 52 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,400 for profits, for the whole thing. Yeah. That's 53 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,234 really amazing to hear. And, you know, when 54 00:01:44,234 --> 00:01:46,075 you think about your culture, how would you 55 00:01:46,075 --> 00:01:48,094 define that? What do you really build into 56 00:01:48,394 --> 00:01:50,314 what you do on a daily basis to 57 00:01:50,314 --> 00:01:52,234 make sure that, you know, people are comfortable 58 00:01:52,234 --> 00:01:54,314 there, they're staying long term, and you're able 59 00:01:54,314 --> 00:01:54,814 to, 60 00:01:55,515 --> 00:01:57,960 just meet their needs and have this great 61 00:01:57,960 --> 00:01:59,980 culture that you have at the surgery center? 62 00:02:00,359 --> 00:02:02,920 Yes. Well, when I started there, it was 63 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:04,700 toxic. It was bad. 64 00:02:05,319 --> 00:02:07,719 It was really bad. And even though I 65 00:02:07,719 --> 00:02:09,719 don't think it affected the customers very much 66 00:02:09,719 --> 00:02:11,885 at that point, customers being the patients, 67 00:02:12,425 --> 00:02:14,425 it was a really toxic environment to work 68 00:02:14,425 --> 00:02:16,125 in, very unhappy atmosphere. 69 00:02:16,585 --> 00:02:17,965 And it took me time 70 00:02:18,425 --> 00:02:19,965 to get the political clout 71 00:02:20,264 --> 00:02:22,665 and the credibility to go to, you know, 72 00:02:22,665 --> 00:02:24,284 the physicians and let them 73 00:02:24,770 --> 00:02:27,090 know exactly what had to be done. And 74 00:02:27,090 --> 00:02:29,169 at that point, you just start building your 75 00:02:29,169 --> 00:02:29,669 culture 76 00:02:30,209 --> 00:02:31,909 by appreciating your staff, 77 00:02:32,370 --> 00:02:33,989 by gently correcting them 78 00:02:34,610 --> 00:02:35,909 when there's a problem. 79 00:02:36,530 --> 00:02:37,909 And if the problem doesn't 80 00:02:38,385 --> 00:02:40,564 improve, then you have to more and more 81 00:02:42,064 --> 00:02:42,564 aggressively 82 00:02:42,944 --> 00:02:44,544 correct it. And people end up having to 83 00:02:44,544 --> 00:02:46,705 leave. And they usually leave on their own 84 00:02:46,705 --> 00:02:48,165 because they're no longer comfortable 85 00:02:48,705 --> 00:02:50,405 in the culture that you 86 00:02:50,865 --> 00:02:52,165 provide for the organization. 87 00:02:52,625 --> 00:02:53,764 So it took time. 88 00:02:54,330 --> 00:02:56,490 But now we have a culture that's well, 89 00:02:56,490 --> 00:02:58,830 it's fantastic. It's fantastic place to work, 90 00:02:59,290 --> 00:03:02,170 fantastic place to have surgery and the surgeons 91 00:03:02,170 --> 00:03:04,090 love it. No, that that's the important thing. 92 00:03:04,090 --> 00:03:06,170 You know, if everybody's. Everybody has to all 93 00:03:06,170 --> 00:03:06,990 three customers, 94 00:03:07,805 --> 00:03:09,344 it it has to work for all 3. 95 00:03:09,724 --> 00:03:12,384 That's amazing to hear. Yeah. Yeah. Well, cool. 96 00:03:13,004 --> 00:03:15,004 You know, and definitely kudos to you to 97 00:03:15,164 --> 00:03:17,324 for, as you mentioned, getting in there and 98 00:03:17,324 --> 00:03:19,084 being able to connect with the physicians and 99 00:03:19,084 --> 00:03:19,584 understanding 100 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:21,680 how you needed to make changes and so 101 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,840 that you could come into the space where 102 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:25,680 it's really an excellent culture and works better 103 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:26,340 for everybody. 104 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:27,280 Now, 105 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,000 in terms of, you know, just thinking through 106 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,319 on the organizational level, could you talk about 107 00:03:32,319 --> 00:03:34,145 some of the strategies that have worked to 108 00:03:34,145 --> 00:03:36,164 tackle the challenges that you see, 109 00:03:36,705 --> 00:03:38,884 within the surgery center as well as recommendations 110 00:03:39,104 --> 00:03:40,884 that you would have for health care leaders 111 00:03:40,944 --> 00:03:42,164 to stay ahead of the curve? 112 00:03:43,104 --> 00:03:44,864 Well, you know, there's a formula to run 113 00:03:44,864 --> 00:03:47,044 a great ASC. Right? I mean, efficiency 114 00:03:47,425 --> 00:03:48,724 of your block times, 115 00:03:49,759 --> 00:03:50,819 keep your supplies, 116 00:03:52,319 --> 00:03:54,259 not don't overuse the supplies, 117 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,639 don't have too much supplies, don't have them 118 00:03:56,639 --> 00:03:58,019 aging out, so to speak. 119 00:03:58,319 --> 00:03:59,939 There's a formula, but 120 00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:02,800 it all really goes back to the culture 121 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:03,620 that you 122 00:04:04,034 --> 00:04:06,215 have as the basis of everything. And 123 00:04:06,514 --> 00:04:08,514 sometimes I think that's what people miss when 124 00:04:08,514 --> 00:04:10,275 you're in that sessions or whatever and hear 125 00:04:10,275 --> 00:04:12,275 people talking about, you know, what they need 126 00:04:12,275 --> 00:04:13,974 to do at this level or that level. 127 00:04:14,194 --> 00:04:15,014 That's great. 128 00:04:15,474 --> 00:04:17,175 But if you don't have the basis 129 00:04:17,714 --> 00:04:18,855 of a great culture, 130 00:04:19,310 --> 00:04:20,449 it's gonna be harder 131 00:04:20,910 --> 00:04:22,290 and sometimes in vain. 132 00:04:22,910 --> 00:04:25,310 So I tell you when I got to 133 00:04:25,310 --> 00:04:25,810 Lakeshore, 134 00:04:26,990 --> 00:04:28,430 the first one of the first things I 135 00:04:28,430 --> 00:04:30,029 started to do is going in the OR 136 00:04:30,029 --> 00:04:32,110 with the surgeons. I might only go in 137 00:04:32,110 --> 00:04:34,574 for 10, 15, 20 minutes, but you're not 138 00:04:34,574 --> 00:04:37,134 gonna catch a surgeon before or after cases 139 00:04:37,134 --> 00:04:38,035 or in between. 140 00:04:38,574 --> 00:04:40,435 They're too busy. So I started 141 00:04:40,735 --> 00:04:43,954 developing relationship with them in the OR. Wow. 142 00:04:44,014 --> 00:04:46,514 Okay? And then as far as staff go, 143 00:04:46,810 --> 00:04:49,129 I got to know them on a personal 144 00:04:49,129 --> 00:04:51,290 basis. Doesn't mean we weren't going out for 145 00:04:51,290 --> 00:04:53,129 drinks afterwards, not that sort of thing. It's 146 00:04:53,129 --> 00:04:53,629 like, 147 00:04:54,009 --> 00:04:55,689 oh, I know what their kids how many 148 00:04:55,689 --> 00:04:57,050 kids do they have? What are their kids' 149 00:04:57,050 --> 00:04:59,289 names? You know, you just get to know 150 00:04:59,289 --> 00:05:01,685 them on a personal level, somewhat. So when 151 00:05:01,685 --> 00:05:03,604 you sit down for important discussion, you know, 152 00:05:03,604 --> 00:05:04,345 I don't go, 153 00:05:04,724 --> 00:05:06,504 Laura, you know, there's a real problem 154 00:05:06,964 --> 00:05:09,044 with the way you've been using profanity in 155 00:05:09,044 --> 00:05:09,784 them always. 156 00:05:10,884 --> 00:05:12,904 Hey, Laura, how's your little baby doing? 157 00:05:13,284 --> 00:05:15,224 Isn't that great? You know, and 158 00:05:15,539 --> 00:05:16,819 develop that so when you have to deal 159 00:05:16,819 --> 00:05:18,519 with the hard topics, you have a relationship. 160 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:21,620 And then with the customer, I was I 161 00:05:21,620 --> 00:05:23,939 have an advantage that might not look like 162 00:05:23,939 --> 00:05:26,199 it. My office is off the waiting room. 163 00:05:26,419 --> 00:05:28,500 It was initially intended to be a children's 164 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:29,175 waiting room. 165 00:05:29,574 --> 00:05:30,074 So 166 00:05:30,615 --> 00:05:33,095 no patient comes in or out. Without going 167 00:05:33,095 --> 00:05:35,014 by my office, I can hear everything that's 168 00:05:35,014 --> 00:05:36,854 happening. Oh, wow. I can go out and, 169 00:05:36,854 --> 00:05:39,014 you know, oh, hi. I'm Sherry. Is everything 170 00:05:39,014 --> 00:05:41,194 good? You know, have you waited too long? 171 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:44,160 You look worried. Are you waiting for somebody? 172 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,079 Oh, let me go check on them. You 173 00:05:46,079 --> 00:05:48,399 know? So you build that engagement with those 174 00:05:48,399 --> 00:05:49,220 3 parties. 175 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,879 It's magic. It really is magic. It's just 176 00:05:52,879 --> 00:05:55,125 not overnight, but it's magic. Yeah. It could 177 00:05:55,245 --> 00:05:56,444 it takes a lot of time and you 178 00:05:56,604 --> 00:05:58,685 like you said, to build that trusting relationship, 179 00:05:58,685 --> 00:06:00,444 especially with your team and then, you know, 180 00:06:00,444 --> 00:06:02,285 the cadence with patients too and that to 181 00:06:02,285 --> 00:06:02,785 really, 182 00:06:03,644 --> 00:06:04,144 embody 183 00:06:04,444 --> 00:06:05,884 what you're trying to do with the surgery 184 00:06:05,884 --> 00:06:08,300 center. Yes. So that that's great to hear, 185 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:09,899 and I know that trust as well with 186 00:06:09,899 --> 00:06:11,360 the patients is really important. 187 00:06:12,139 --> 00:06:14,379 From your perspective, how can leaders ensure their 188 00:06:14,379 --> 00:06:16,240 staff are are well equipped to, 189 00:06:16,860 --> 00:06:18,699 deal with some of the challenges? Obviously, you 190 00:06:18,699 --> 00:06:21,365 know, if you're coming, out of your office 191 00:06:21,365 --> 00:06:23,524 and being able to handle things, that's great. 192 00:06:23,524 --> 00:06:24,024 But, 193 00:06:24,564 --> 00:06:26,564 on the staff side as well, how do 194 00:06:26,564 --> 00:06:27,604 you make sure they're ready to, 195 00:06:29,444 --> 00:06:31,365 connect with with the patients that have the 196 00:06:31,365 --> 00:06:32,490 similar sort of 197 00:06:33,930 --> 00:06:35,629 trust that they can build with them. 198 00:06:36,410 --> 00:06:38,029 The staff have now become 199 00:06:38,569 --> 00:06:39,470 so engaged. 200 00:06:40,649 --> 00:06:42,569 I know my staff that they care about 201 00:06:42,569 --> 00:06:44,349 the patients. I know their skills, 202 00:06:44,970 --> 00:06:46,410 and I know that they want us to 203 00:06:46,410 --> 00:06:47,069 do well. 204 00:06:47,735 --> 00:06:48,235 So 205 00:06:48,615 --> 00:06:50,475 they I can trust them with that. 206 00:06:51,495 --> 00:06:53,175 And when it's maybe a bad day for 207 00:06:53,175 --> 00:06:55,814 them, the patient's not gonna see it. Mhmm. 208 00:06:55,814 --> 00:06:57,975 I think because of that groundwork, that's how 209 00:06:57,975 --> 00:07:00,455 it translates for the patients. And once in 210 00:07:00,455 --> 00:07:01,115 a while, 211 00:07:01,779 --> 00:07:04,019 you may forget. And so here's an exercise 212 00:07:04,019 --> 00:07:06,279 we're gonna do, 1st week in December. 213 00:07:06,979 --> 00:07:08,199 It's actually me. 214 00:07:08,819 --> 00:07:10,660 I'm going in for a colonoscopy and an 215 00:07:10,660 --> 00:07:11,160 EGD. 216 00:07:12,019 --> 00:07:14,274 And I'm going to come in take 217 00:07:14,574 --> 00:07:14,801 a picture of everything I see as I 218 00:07:14,801 --> 00:07:16,095 walk in the front desk, as I go 219 00:07:16,095 --> 00:07:16,814 to my, you know, the gurney, as I'm 220 00:07:16,814 --> 00:07:19,375 going down the hall and take pictures of 221 00:07:19,375 --> 00:07:21,055 the ceiling. I'm going to look at everything 222 00:07:21,055 --> 00:07:22,495 through the eyes of a patient, and then 223 00:07:22,495 --> 00:07:24,035 we're going to take those pictures. 224 00:07:30,509 --> 00:07:32,029 And we're gonna sit down with a pizza 225 00:07:32,029 --> 00:07:33,709 or whatever and look and see, this is 226 00:07:33,709 --> 00:07:35,470 what the patient saw. Is there something here 227 00:07:35,470 --> 00:07:37,709 we could do better? Yeah. And just keep 228 00:07:37,709 --> 00:07:39,709 improving on it that way. And then I'm 229 00:07:39,709 --> 00:07:40,370 not having 230 00:07:40,829 --> 00:07:43,004 a surgery per se, staff member have a 231 00:07:43,004 --> 00:07:43,663 fake surgery and do the same thing. You 232 00:07:43,663 --> 00:07:44,352 know, go and see the big glare of 233 00:07:44,352 --> 00:07:45,345 the lights, you know, 234 00:07:45,884 --> 00:07:47,404 everything. So look at it through the patient's 235 00:07:47,404 --> 00:07:49,245 perspective. And I think that's why our satisfaction 236 00:07:49,245 --> 00:07:50,305 rate is so high 237 00:07:55,270 --> 00:07:58,629 because our nurses, they have empathy. Yeah. And 238 00:07:58,629 --> 00:08:00,889 that's really powerful. And I love that idea. 239 00:08:02,069 --> 00:08:04,230 I'm wondering too, you know, when you look 240 00:08:04,230 --> 00:08:05,449 at all the different, 241 00:08:06,550 --> 00:08:08,550 possibilities and conversations they have to have, one 242 00:08:08,550 --> 00:08:10,805 of the more challenging ones can be, you 243 00:08:10,805 --> 00:08:13,785 know, the, the financial side, the patient responsibility, 244 00:08:14,324 --> 00:08:14,824 collections, 245 00:08:15,444 --> 00:08:17,365 from the patient. So how do you equip 246 00:08:17,365 --> 00:08:19,464 your team to handle those kinds of conversations 247 00:08:19,605 --> 00:08:21,305 as well? Yes. Well, 248 00:08:22,519 --> 00:08:24,699 that's an important thing, of course. 249 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,339 And I had a new front office person 250 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:29,419 and she's so efficient, 251 00:08:30,599 --> 00:08:32,440 you know, great efficient. She's gonna get it 252 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,279 collected, the whole thing. But maybe she was 253 00:08:34,279 --> 00:08:36,519 just a little bit hard may not be 254 00:08:36,519 --> 00:08:37,580 the right word, but 255 00:08:38,495 --> 00:08:41,215 too efficient, not warm and fuzzy enough. So 256 00:08:41,215 --> 00:08:42,995 we had to balance that a little bit. 257 00:08:43,054 --> 00:08:45,054 But we let them know beforehand that it's 258 00:08:45,054 --> 00:08:46,975 gonna be collected. When they come with, yes, 259 00:08:46,975 --> 00:08:49,215 we need to collect it today. So it's 260 00:08:49,215 --> 00:08:52,595 being firm in your policies, but nice. 261 00:08:53,259 --> 00:08:54,159 Yeah. I mean, genuinely, 262 00:08:55,019 --> 00:08:56,220 you know, we care about you. You're here 263 00:08:56,220 --> 00:08:57,759 for your surgery. We told you you need 264 00:08:58,059 --> 00:08:59,120 $250 today 265 00:09:00,139 --> 00:09:01,980 and how would you like to take care 266 00:09:01,980 --> 00:09:02,559 of that? 267 00:09:02,940 --> 00:09:05,019 Yeah. You just do it in a caring, 268 00:09:05,019 --> 00:09:06,240 empathetic way and 269 00:09:06,834 --> 00:09:08,834 you have to have done the roadwork first. 270 00:09:08,834 --> 00:09:10,514 Mhmm. The patient has to know before they 271 00:09:10,514 --> 00:09:12,455 walk up to your window that day, 272 00:09:12,834 --> 00:09:14,754 you know. Yeah. That they are gonna have 273 00:09:14,754 --> 00:09:17,794 to they'll have to Right. Right. Yeah. That's 274 00:09:17,794 --> 00:09:19,095 such an excellent point. 275 00:09:19,554 --> 00:09:21,850 Before we wrap up our conversation here, is 276 00:09:21,850 --> 00:09:23,529 there anything else you'd like to talk about 277 00:09:23,529 --> 00:09:24,350 or mention 278 00:09:24,649 --> 00:09:26,990 or add even for other ASC administrators 279 00:09:27,529 --> 00:09:29,929 and folks who really are looking to continue 280 00:09:29,929 --> 00:09:32,090 to grow and develop successfully in the next 281 00:09:32,090 --> 00:09:34,330 couple of years? What is important for them 282 00:09:34,330 --> 00:09:35,309 to know and understand? 283 00:09:35,644 --> 00:09:37,245 I think and I can't push it home 284 00:09:37,245 --> 00:09:40,044 enough, but my PhD is in leadership, so 285 00:09:40,044 --> 00:09:42,605 maybe I'm a little bent towards that. But, 286 00:09:42,605 --> 00:09:44,465 yeah, you get your formula together 287 00:09:44,924 --> 00:09:46,924 for how to run an e an an 288 00:09:46,924 --> 00:09:47,985 ASC efficiently, 289 00:09:48,659 --> 00:09:52,259 but builds your culture so that it's good 290 00:09:52,259 --> 00:09:53,240 for the long term. 291 00:09:54,019 --> 00:09:56,579 I just can't emphasize it enough because I 292 00:09:56,579 --> 00:09:58,659 think that a lot of leaders think it's 293 00:09:58,659 --> 00:09:59,639 a soft skill 294 00:10:00,419 --> 00:10:01,240 to engage. 295 00:10:02,375 --> 00:10:05,095 It's not. It's it's what's gonna make your 296 00:10:05,095 --> 00:10:07,334 business successful in that. It needs to be 297 00:10:07,334 --> 00:10:09,434 recognized for how valuable it is. 298 00:10:10,214 --> 00:10:11,995 That I just can't say it enough. 299 00:10:12,855 --> 00:10:14,615 Well, I love that. Thank you so much, 300 00:10:14,615 --> 00:10:16,134 Sherry, for being here today. This has been 301 00:10:16,134 --> 00:10:17,850 a really fun conversation. I look forward to 302 00:10:17,850 --> 00:10:19,690 connecting with you again soon. Thank you, Lauren. 303 00:10:19,690 --> 00:10:20,350 My pleasure.