1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,720 This is Laura Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:04,960 Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by 3 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,759 Adam Hornback, administrator of North Texas Teen Care 4 00:00:07,759 --> 00:00:09,519 Surgery Center. Adam, it's a pleasure to have 5 00:00:09,519 --> 00:00:11,119 you on the podcast today. Thank you for 6 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:13,375 having me. Now I'm looking forward to our 7 00:00:13,375 --> 00:00:15,294 conversation. I think there's so much happening in 8 00:00:15,294 --> 00:00:17,535 the ASC space and really some exciting trends, 9 00:00:17,855 --> 00:00:20,255 upcoming in terms of, you know, growth and 10 00:00:20,255 --> 00:00:20,755 development. 11 00:00:21,614 --> 00:00:23,695 So I'm excited to get into this discussion. 12 00:00:23,695 --> 00:00:25,135 But before we do, can you please take 13 00:00:25,135 --> 00:00:27,179 a minute to introduce yourself and talk a 14 00:00:27,179 --> 00:00:28,720 little bit about your work in the industry? 15 00:00:29,019 --> 00:00:30,620 Yeah. Absolutely. So, 16 00:00:31,100 --> 00:00:32,239 I am an RN, 17 00:00:33,020 --> 00:00:34,640 administrator at a 18 00:00:35,260 --> 00:00:38,960 physician owned fully independent, multi specialty surgery center 19 00:00:39,375 --> 00:00:41,234 in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. 20 00:00:43,134 --> 00:00:46,174 We do everything but eyes, essentially. We do 21 00:00:46,174 --> 00:00:49,954 spine, ortho, and the whole deal. We are 22 00:00:50,094 --> 00:00:51,774 different in that we are one of the 23 00:00:51,774 --> 00:00:54,434 few surgery centers that publish our prices online, 24 00:00:54,969 --> 00:00:55,710 cash prices. 25 00:00:56,570 --> 00:00:58,189 So we try to 26 00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:02,489 be a little bit more transparent and, go 27 00:01:02,489 --> 00:01:03,149 that route. 28 00:01:03,689 --> 00:01:05,769 In addition to that, we created a company, 29 00:01:05,769 --> 00:01:09,229 a patient navigation company. In addition to that, 30 00:01:09,734 --> 00:01:10,715 doing transparent 31 00:01:11,015 --> 00:01:13,575 bundle pricing in our facility as well as 32 00:01:13,575 --> 00:01:16,134 other facilities throughout Texas, and we're actually going 33 00:01:16,134 --> 00:01:17,034 national soon. 34 00:01:17,575 --> 00:01:19,174 Well, it's amazing to hear. You know? And, 35 00:01:19,174 --> 00:01:21,414 certainly, a lot of hunger it seems like 36 00:01:21,414 --> 00:01:22,474 for that kind of 37 00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:25,369 services, figuring out how to do your prices 38 00:01:25,510 --> 00:01:28,150 transparently and then, sharing that with patients because 39 00:01:28,150 --> 00:01:30,150 so many, you know, have a variety of 40 00:01:30,150 --> 00:01:33,030 different situations with insurance and payment options. So, 41 00:01:33,349 --> 00:01:35,364 that's really great to hear. And I know 42 00:01:35,364 --> 00:01:37,765 ASC volume across the country is expected to 43 00:01:37,765 --> 00:01:39,384 increase now by around 16% 44 00:01:39,844 --> 00:01:40,744 through 2032. 45 00:01:41,125 --> 00:01:43,604 So with this in mind, in just that 46 00:01:43,604 --> 00:01:45,125 high growth mode that you were talking about 47 00:01:45,125 --> 00:01:47,204 at your own surgery center, what are some 48 00:01:47,204 --> 00:01:50,070 of the most pressing challenges to maintaining that 49 00:01:50,070 --> 00:01:51,370 positive patient experience? 50 00:01:52,310 --> 00:01:53,990 Yeah. One of the things that I think 51 00:01:53,990 --> 00:01:56,710 that surgery centers need to focus on as 52 00:01:56,710 --> 00:01:59,530 we get more and more busy is concentrating 53 00:01:59,829 --> 00:02:01,130 on that patient 54 00:02:01,670 --> 00:02:02,170 centric 55 00:02:02,549 --> 00:02:03,049 care. 56 00:02:03,844 --> 00:02:05,844 You know, we're all about safety. We're all 57 00:02:05,844 --> 00:02:07,465 about, you know, efficiency, 58 00:02:07,924 --> 00:02:09,444 but making sure I'm looking at it from 59 00:02:09,444 --> 00:02:12,004 a patient perspective, making sure that their experience 60 00:02:12,004 --> 00:02:12,745 is positive. 61 00:02:13,764 --> 00:02:16,150 We want to make sure that one of 62 00:02:16,150 --> 00:02:18,150 the things that people go to a surgery 63 00:02:18,150 --> 00:02:20,569 center for is that 1 on 1 personalization 64 00:02:21,430 --> 00:02:23,509 that they get from a surgery center. And 65 00:02:23,509 --> 00:02:26,490 so concentrating on that, making sure that staff, 66 00:02:26,870 --> 00:02:28,245 you know, has the right customer 67 00:02:28,644 --> 00:02:31,044 service in addition to, you know, the safety 68 00:02:31,044 --> 00:02:33,465 and efficiency that we're looking to maintain. 69 00:02:34,405 --> 00:02:36,405 Absolutely. You know? And and that's a really, 70 00:02:36,724 --> 00:02:39,284 really great point in terms of making sure 71 00:02:39,284 --> 00:02:42,020 that staff is able to approach things in 72 00:02:42,020 --> 00:02:43,540 the right way. It's not always an easy 73 00:02:43,540 --> 00:02:45,000 conversation to talk about, 74 00:02:45,460 --> 00:02:47,699 payment or or going through some of the 75 00:02:47,699 --> 00:02:50,500 financial responsibility on patients. So what have you 76 00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:52,259 done to make sure that, you know, the 77 00:02:52,259 --> 00:02:54,419 staff is ready for those conversations and doing 78 00:02:54,419 --> 00:02:56,020 them in a way that's thoughtful for the 79 00:02:56,020 --> 00:02:56,520 patients? 80 00:02:57,105 --> 00:02:59,504 Yeah. That's one of the things that, as, 81 00:02:59,504 --> 00:03:02,405 again, as we as a surgery center decided 82 00:03:02,465 --> 00:03:05,205 to put our crisis out there, be transparent, 83 00:03:06,385 --> 00:03:07,525 there's no surprises, 84 00:03:08,224 --> 00:03:10,485 with our patients that come in like that. 85 00:03:10,780 --> 00:03:14,159 We make sure that the patient has understanding 86 00:03:14,459 --> 00:03:15,360 of the bundle, 87 00:03:16,060 --> 00:03:19,019 that it includes the surgeon facility, anesthesia. You 88 00:03:19,019 --> 00:03:21,019 know, you won't get a pry a a 89 00:03:21,019 --> 00:03:21,919 bill later. 90 00:03:22,860 --> 00:03:24,639 And so trying to 91 00:03:25,064 --> 00:03:27,544 strategize with patients what the best way is 92 00:03:27,544 --> 00:03:28,604 for them to pay, 93 00:03:29,944 --> 00:03:32,104 and just be transparent in the way that 94 00:03:32,104 --> 00:03:33,324 we deal with our patients. 95 00:03:34,504 --> 00:03:36,525 That that's really helpful to know and understand. 96 00:03:36,745 --> 00:03:38,900 Now what other strategies have worked for you 97 00:03:38,900 --> 00:03:41,479 and your organization to tackle the other challenges, 98 00:03:41,939 --> 00:03:44,120 really that we talked about in the industry? 99 00:03:44,819 --> 00:03:46,900 Any recommendations that you have for health care 100 00:03:46,900 --> 00:03:48,439 leaders to stay ahead? 101 00:03:48,900 --> 00:03:51,000 Yeah. One of the things, I am currently, 102 00:03:51,620 --> 00:03:53,594 the vice president of our, 103 00:03:53,915 --> 00:03:54,814 state association, 104 00:03:55,594 --> 00:03:56,094 and 105 00:03:56,555 --> 00:03:58,235 something to that I would like to say 106 00:03:58,235 --> 00:04:02,075 to leaders is get involved with your state 107 00:04:02,075 --> 00:04:04,814 leadership, your the national, you know, ASCA. 108 00:04:05,460 --> 00:04:08,360 Be involved. I cannot tell you how important 109 00:04:08,580 --> 00:04:11,540 our state association was this last session in 110 00:04:11,540 --> 00:04:12,040 killing 111 00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:15,540 just ridiculous bills that would essentially put the 112 00:04:15,540 --> 00:04:18,600 anastase the ambulatory surgery centers out of business. 113 00:04:19,294 --> 00:04:21,615 There are button you know, there are, bills 114 00:04:21,615 --> 00:04:23,375 that were up that were going to kill 115 00:04:23,375 --> 00:04:24,435 facility fees. 116 00:04:24,894 --> 00:04:26,495 That's how we get paid. You know, you 117 00:04:26,495 --> 00:04:28,594 kill that and you kill the the ASC 118 00:04:28,654 --> 00:04:32,414 industry. There were multiple bills about transparency, which 119 00:04:32,414 --> 00:04:32,759 is 120 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,660 our industry is very much in in 121 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:38,600 inclusive of. We like that. The problem is 122 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,120 is they wanted to do it in the 123 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:41,720 way that the hospitals do it, you know, 124 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,060 machine readable files and this 125 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:44,860 onerous 126 00:04:46,625 --> 00:04:49,504 taxing things that, you know, some places don't 127 00:04:49,504 --> 00:04:51,264 even have a website and, you know, it 128 00:04:51,345 --> 00:04:53,824 it's just too much for some for our 129 00:04:53,824 --> 00:04:55,444 industry to take on that. 130 00:04:55,904 --> 00:04:58,004 So get involved with your state industry 131 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,879 to make sure that any bills that come 132 00:05:00,879 --> 00:05:03,360 up, you're aware. We can fight them. We 133 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,300 can tell the the, representatives 134 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,080 what we need, you know, because they're open. 135 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,080 They're listening to it. So that's what I 136 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,399 would say. Get involved with your state and 137 00:05:12,399 --> 00:05:13,379 national associations. 138 00:05:14,134 --> 00:05:16,134 That's fascinating to hear, you know, and certainly, 139 00:05:16,375 --> 00:05:18,214 just really interesting to see how some of 140 00:05:18,214 --> 00:05:20,535 the different legislation that's coming up at the 141 00:05:20,535 --> 00:05:22,694 state level even, can have a really big 142 00:05:22,694 --> 00:05:24,555 difference. You know, there's some of the traditional 143 00:05:24,935 --> 00:05:26,935 legislation that will come up from time to 144 00:05:26,935 --> 00:05:29,430 time, but then to know now, you know, 145 00:05:29,430 --> 00:05:32,149 a bill killing facility fees would be, you 146 00:05:32,149 --> 00:05:34,310 know, devastating in in some of the other 147 00:05:34,310 --> 00:05:36,870 ways that Absolutely. And multiple states are doing 148 00:05:36,870 --> 00:05:39,029 this. This isn't one state, so it's something 149 00:05:39,029 --> 00:05:41,430 to look out for. Yeah. Absolutely. Good call. 150 00:05:41,430 --> 00:05:42,194 Good call. 151 00:05:43,475 --> 00:05:45,875 Given just, you know, some of these, the 152 00:05:45,875 --> 00:05:47,095 situation we're in today, 153 00:05:47,395 --> 00:05:49,555 how can leaders ensure that their staff is 154 00:05:49,555 --> 00:05:51,335 well prepared to help patients navigate 155 00:05:51,714 --> 00:05:52,935 this financial situation? 156 00:05:53,875 --> 00:05:56,455 How does that benefit the patient provider relationship? 157 00:05:57,050 --> 00:05:59,930 I think anytime that you provide transparency to 158 00:05:59,930 --> 00:06:01,230 the patient, it, 159 00:06:02,410 --> 00:06:03,310 creates trust. 160 00:06:03,769 --> 00:06:05,129 You know, you're you're not, 161 00:06:05,610 --> 00:06:07,610 trying to slip one in. You're not trying 162 00:06:07,610 --> 00:06:08,670 to trick the patient. 163 00:06:09,529 --> 00:06:12,009 So I advise, you know, every time, you 164 00:06:12,009 --> 00:06:13,865 know, I'm sure that most of us do. 165 00:06:13,865 --> 00:06:15,785 All of the surgery center has the same 166 00:06:15,785 --> 00:06:18,524 ideas in mind. You know, we want to 167 00:06:18,985 --> 00:06:20,665 take care of the patient in a safe, 168 00:06:20,665 --> 00:06:23,464 efficient way, but we're we're thinking of cost 169 00:06:23,464 --> 00:06:25,384 all all the time. We're always thinking of 170 00:06:25,384 --> 00:06:27,930 that. So, you know, options are out there 171 00:06:27,930 --> 00:06:28,430 financing. 172 00:06:29,289 --> 00:06:31,310 I think most of us use that. 173 00:06:32,410 --> 00:06:36,009 Again, having cash prices available, you know, even 174 00:06:36,009 --> 00:06:37,785 if you don't post them right now, 175 00:06:38,345 --> 00:06:39,564 one of the transparency 176 00:06:39,944 --> 00:06:42,365 bills that is going to come up is, 177 00:06:42,425 --> 00:06:45,545 you know, posting your prices online. So everybody 178 00:06:45,545 --> 00:06:47,064 needs to get on board whether they want 179 00:06:47,064 --> 00:06:47,964 to or not. 180 00:06:48,584 --> 00:06:49,644 So transparency, 181 00:06:50,024 --> 00:06:52,209 just creating that trust with your patient. Patients 182 00:06:52,209 --> 00:06:53,949 are getting smarter and smarter. 183 00:06:54,410 --> 00:06:56,589 They are getting down to where they shop. 184 00:06:56,810 --> 00:06:58,810 They don't just go where their surgeon tells 185 00:06:58,810 --> 00:07:01,769 them. Patients are getting, you know, more knowledge 186 00:07:01,769 --> 00:07:03,370 about it, and they can go out and 187 00:07:03,370 --> 00:07:05,069 shop. They'll they'll go to Oklahoma 188 00:07:05,449 --> 00:07:07,209 to get a surgery done because they find 189 00:07:07,209 --> 00:07:07,870 it cheaper. 190 00:07:08,865 --> 00:07:11,985 So it is absolutely something that, you know, 191 00:07:11,985 --> 00:07:15,105 everybody needs to be conscious of and, be 192 00:07:15,105 --> 00:07:16,084 ready to provide. 193 00:07:17,345 --> 00:07:19,345 Absolutely. I I think, you know, like you 194 00:07:19,345 --> 00:07:21,285 said, it's so important to have those, 195 00:07:22,030 --> 00:07:24,590 skills that that talking points and then to 196 00:07:24,590 --> 00:07:26,750 just the ability to relate to patients, build 197 00:07:26,750 --> 00:07:29,490 that trust, to keep the business model going. 198 00:07:29,629 --> 00:07:31,389 Before we wrap up here, is there anything 199 00:07:31,389 --> 00:07:33,069 else that we haven't talked about yet that 200 00:07:33,069 --> 00:07:35,115 you'd like to add or, you know, something 201 00:07:35,115 --> 00:07:37,274 top of mind that's important for ASC leaders 202 00:07:37,274 --> 00:07:39,294 who are listening to this podcast to know? 203 00:07:39,995 --> 00:07:42,334 Not so much. I I I would again 204 00:07:42,634 --> 00:07:44,095 say that, you know, 205 00:07:44,794 --> 00:07:48,334 our leaders, our state associations, our national associations, 206 00:07:49,060 --> 00:07:49,560 Beckers. 207 00:07:50,420 --> 00:07:54,180 These these entities are here to advocate for 208 00:07:54,180 --> 00:07:56,740 ambulatory surgery centers. So, you know, we need 209 00:07:56,740 --> 00:07:57,480 to to 210 00:07:58,259 --> 00:07:58,759 provide 211 00:07:59,459 --> 00:07:59,959 support 212 00:08:00,580 --> 00:08:01,560 to these organizations, 213 00:08:03,004 --> 00:08:05,404 to because they help all the industry. You 214 00:08:05,404 --> 00:08:07,245 know, you guys every year put on this 215 00:08:07,245 --> 00:08:09,904 and it it is so impactful, so helpful. 216 00:08:10,845 --> 00:08:11,584 The associations, 217 00:08:12,764 --> 00:08:13,745 and leaders, 218 00:08:14,444 --> 00:08:16,544 continue to utilize these, 219 00:08:17,009 --> 00:08:19,410 and, we'll we'll keep moving forward with the 220 00:08:19,410 --> 00:08:19,910 industry. 221 00:08:20,689 --> 00:08:22,449 Well, thank you, Adam. It's been a pleasure 222 00:08:22,449 --> 00:08:24,370 speaking with you today. I appreciate your time, 223 00:08:24,370 --> 00:08:26,449 and, I look forward to connecting with you 224 00:08:26,449 --> 00:08:27,909 again soon. Thank you.