1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,319 Are your patients looking for an easy way 2 00:00:02,319 --> 00:00:04,480 to pay for health care? Want to level 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:06,639 up the way you do business? Then the 4 00:00:06,639 --> 00:00:09,199 CareCredit health and wellness card just might be 5 00:00:09,199 --> 00:00:09,859 the answer. 6 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,539 For over thirty years, CareCredit, a Synchrony solution, 7 00:00:13,759 --> 00:00:16,454 has been providing patients with a modern, flexible 8 00:00:16,454 --> 00:00:18,375 way to pay for their health and wellness 9 00:00:18,375 --> 00:00:18,875 expenses. 10 00:00:19,414 --> 00:00:22,875 CareCredit seamlessly integrates with your business, helping minimize 11 00:00:23,015 --> 00:00:25,975 account receivable, all while your patients enjoy budget 12 00:00:25,975 --> 00:00:27,595 friendly financing options. 13 00:00:28,054 --> 00:00:30,214 To learn more about how CareCredit works for 14 00:00:30,214 --> 00:00:31,274 you and your patients, 15 00:00:31,679 --> 00:00:33,619 visit carecredit.com 16 00:00:33,679 --> 00:00:35,619 forward slash beckers podcast. 17 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,000 This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare 18 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,840 podcast, and we are live at the business 19 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:41,619 and operations of ASCs. 20 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,414 I'm joined currently by doctor Wes Battiste, who 21 00:00:44,414 --> 00:00:46,815 is the president of Destin Surgery Center and 22 00:00:46,815 --> 00:00:47,875 Destin Anesthesia. 23 00:00:48,175 --> 00:00:50,914 So, doctor Battiste, thanks for joining me today. 24 00:00:51,054 --> 00:00:52,255 Would love for you to just take a 25 00:00:52,255 --> 00:00:54,094 moment and introduce yourself and tell us a 26 00:00:54,094 --> 00:00:55,615 little bit more about your role in the 27 00:00:55,615 --> 00:00:56,115 industry. 28 00:00:56,490 --> 00:00:58,109 Of course. And thank you for the introduction. 29 00:00:59,450 --> 00:01:02,489 Forty years in health care. In 1981, 30 00:01:02,489 --> 00:01:04,489 began as a respiratory therapy tech at Emory 31 00:01:04,489 --> 00:01:06,409 University Hospital when I was in training as 32 00:01:06,409 --> 00:01:08,109 an undergrad and then graduate school. 33 00:01:08,685 --> 00:01:10,924 Anesthesia background back as a clinician for ten 34 00:01:10,924 --> 00:01:12,465 years, and that ten years, 35 00:01:13,564 --> 00:01:15,484 led to opening my first surgery center in 36 00:01:15,484 --> 00:01:16,444 02/2001, 37 00:01:16,444 --> 00:01:18,064 developed it from the ground up, 38 00:01:18,685 --> 00:01:19,745 purchased the land, 39 00:01:20,364 --> 00:01:23,025 construction management syndication, capital equipment, 40 00:01:23,599 --> 00:01:26,079 regulatory compliance, and then have operated that center 41 00:01:26,079 --> 00:01:28,400 for twenty five years, developed another center in 42 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,540 02/2010 and a third in 02/2020, 43 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,000 which has led to now doing some consulting 44 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,700 work with Avanza Healthcare Strategies 45 00:01:37,155 --> 00:01:39,155 to, to try to scale up and share 46 00:01:39,155 --> 00:01:40,834 some of the experience from those twenty five 47 00:01:40,834 --> 00:01:41,334 years. 48 00:01:41,875 --> 00:01:43,715 Wonderful. Well, thank you for taking the time 49 00:01:43,715 --> 00:01:44,774 to be here today. 50 00:01:45,314 --> 00:01:48,114 Let's start our conversation with ASC volume. So 51 00:01:48,114 --> 00:01:50,840 this is expected to increase by 16% 52 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,579 across the country by the year 2032. 53 00:01:53,959 --> 00:01:56,299 With this growth, what is the most pressing 54 00:01:56,359 --> 00:01:58,939 challenge to maintaining a positive patient experience? 55 00:02:00,519 --> 00:02:02,745 So a positive patient experience, I think, is 56 00:02:02,825 --> 00:02:04,984 the key to all sustainable growth. And I 57 00:02:04,984 --> 00:02:05,484 think 58 00:02:05,784 --> 00:02:07,725 the first and first most challenging 59 00:02:08,504 --> 00:02:10,185 metric that we have to deal with in 60 00:02:10,185 --> 00:02:12,425 in a patient experience and and the graphic 61 00:02:12,425 --> 00:02:14,185 growth is is staffing. We have a staffing 62 00:02:14,185 --> 00:02:15,705 shortage, whether it be from nursing, whether it 63 00:02:15,705 --> 00:02:17,485 be from anesthesia, and even from physician 64 00:02:17,865 --> 00:02:18,365 level. 65 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,540 And people make the place. People 66 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,719 define your outcomes, and the the better people 67 00:02:24,719 --> 00:02:26,879 you have, the better your outcome. So for 68 00:02:26,879 --> 00:02:28,560 me, it's always been a success is, 69 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:30,879 is measured by how we care for our 70 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:32,900 patients. That's our product. We wanna have 71 00:02:33,284 --> 00:02:35,365 a product that, is the best product out 72 00:02:35,365 --> 00:02:36,985 there. That's that's how we care for outpatient. 73 00:02:37,925 --> 00:02:40,564 Patients having surgery, and, we start that by 74 00:02:40,564 --> 00:02:42,245 caring for our people. We care well for 75 00:02:42,245 --> 00:02:43,525 our people, and they care well for our 76 00:02:43,525 --> 00:02:44,025 business. 77 00:02:44,324 --> 00:02:46,965 People know the difference between being treated well 78 00:02:46,965 --> 00:02:48,264 or being cared for well. 79 00:02:48,810 --> 00:02:49,310 Absolutely. 80 00:02:49,849 --> 00:02:52,490 And going off of that, what strategies have 81 00:02:52,490 --> 00:02:55,210 you seen work for your organization to tackle 82 00:02:55,210 --> 00:02:56,270 some of those challenges? 83 00:02:56,650 --> 00:02:58,170 And what is the recommendation you have for 84 00:02:58,170 --> 00:03:00,030 health care leaders looking to stay ahead? 85 00:03:00,985 --> 00:03:03,305 So staffing being the shortage and and the 86 00:03:03,305 --> 00:03:05,145 problematic that it is for us as an 87 00:03:05,145 --> 00:03:07,064 ASCs, you have to retain people. You have 88 00:03:07,064 --> 00:03:08,125 to have good retention. 89 00:03:08,425 --> 00:03:09,944 It's easier to retain than it is to 90 00:03:09,944 --> 00:03:10,444 recruit, 91 00:03:10,825 --> 00:03:13,724 and, the cost of turnover is substantial. So, 92 00:03:13,944 --> 00:03:15,405 again, it goes back to 93 00:03:16,069 --> 00:03:17,050 how is your organization's 94 00:03:17,510 --> 00:03:19,430 reputation as to how it cares for its 95 00:03:19,430 --> 00:03:20,950 people, as to how it treats its people? 96 00:03:20,950 --> 00:03:23,349 Are you are you truly taking care of 97 00:03:23,349 --> 00:03:25,770 them and their needs, or are you constantly 98 00:03:25,830 --> 00:03:26,790 flexing them and, 99 00:03:27,590 --> 00:03:28,790 not treating me as you would treat your 100 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:30,150 own family? And that that kinda comes back 101 00:03:30,150 --> 00:03:31,610 to it as you would just treat 102 00:03:32,205 --> 00:03:35,245 treat your your your employees, treat your staff, 103 00:03:35,245 --> 00:03:37,004 treat your patients as if they were a 104 00:03:37,004 --> 00:03:38,925 family member. And then second to that is 105 00:03:38,925 --> 00:03:40,525 just keeping a focus, keeping an eye on 106 00:03:40,525 --> 00:03:42,045 the prize. The the prize here, as I 107 00:03:42,045 --> 00:03:44,365 mentioned earlier, is truly the product. And just 108 00:03:44,365 --> 00:03:45,805 in a very simple minded way, if we 109 00:03:45,805 --> 00:03:47,459 have the best product out there, then we 110 00:03:47,459 --> 00:03:48,039 are gonna 111 00:03:48,340 --> 00:03:50,500 we're gonna be successful. And the best product 112 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:52,579 out there is delivering the best patient care 113 00:03:52,579 --> 00:03:54,759 and outpatient basis there is. And so, 114 00:03:55,060 --> 00:03:57,060 we focus on that product. Everything else follows 115 00:03:57,060 --> 00:03:58,659 from it. And as we get more successful, 116 00:03:58,659 --> 00:04:00,099 we have to make sure we refocus and 117 00:04:00,099 --> 00:04:02,364 don't lose sight of that prize. 118 00:04:03,145 --> 00:04:05,465 EBITDA is very important, but EBITDA comes from, 119 00:04:05,784 --> 00:04:07,485 delivering a really, really good product. 120 00:04:08,264 --> 00:04:10,344 And shifting gears a little bit toward the 121 00:04:10,344 --> 00:04:13,064 financial side, how can leaders ensure their staff 122 00:04:13,064 --> 00:04:15,144 are well equipped to help patients navigate the 123 00:04:15,144 --> 00:04:17,819 financial aspects of care? And how does this 124 00:04:17,819 --> 00:04:19,520 benefit patient provider relationships? 125 00:04:20,379 --> 00:04:22,540 So with the Transparency Act that started a 126 00:04:22,540 --> 00:04:23,600 a year or so ago, 127 00:04:24,139 --> 00:04:26,400 it's very important that patients are actually educated 128 00:04:26,460 --> 00:04:28,379 about their medical bills. So many patients don't 129 00:04:28,379 --> 00:04:30,985 understand. They they they get an EOB. They 130 00:04:30,985 --> 00:04:32,425 get a they get a medical bill. They 131 00:04:32,425 --> 00:04:33,705 they just can't put the two and two 132 00:04:33,705 --> 00:04:36,665 together. The transparency act really encourages and actually 133 00:04:36,665 --> 00:04:39,064 forces us to share with the patient their 134 00:04:39,064 --> 00:04:41,465 their out of pocket expense prior to prior 135 00:04:41,465 --> 00:04:42,285 to their procedure. 136 00:04:43,319 --> 00:04:44,919 That in the end, over time, this is 137 00:04:44,919 --> 00:04:46,919 gonna allow patients to actually become shoppers just 138 00:04:46,919 --> 00:04:48,620 as they would shop for any other product. 139 00:04:48,759 --> 00:04:50,540 They'll be they will be able to compare 140 00:04:50,919 --> 00:04:53,240 one surgery center to the hospital outpatient department 141 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,419 or one ASC to another ASC. 142 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:57,660 So it's very important that staff are educated 143 00:04:57,879 --> 00:04:59,555 in how insurance verification, 144 00:05:00,095 --> 00:05:02,095 the whole process so they actually can accurately 145 00:05:02,095 --> 00:05:03,074 predict patients 146 00:05:03,455 --> 00:05:05,535 out of pot out of pocket expenses. Second 147 00:05:05,535 --> 00:05:07,694 part is it's very important for centers to 148 00:05:07,694 --> 00:05:09,715 to focus on being in network with payers. 149 00:05:09,775 --> 00:05:11,855 Out of network is, just not a healthy 150 00:05:11,855 --> 00:05:13,154 place for the financials, 151 00:05:13,909 --> 00:05:16,029 responsibility of the patient. So to be in 152 00:05:16,029 --> 00:05:16,529 network 153 00:05:17,069 --> 00:05:17,889 with contracts, 154 00:05:18,350 --> 00:05:20,350 so that you can then exactly detail to 155 00:05:20,350 --> 00:05:22,110 the patient what their expense would be. Third, 156 00:05:22,110 --> 00:05:23,789 you you wanna offer payment plans. You you 157 00:05:23,789 --> 00:05:25,470 wanna you wanna make sure you're authentic. We're 158 00:05:25,470 --> 00:05:26,829 there to care for patients. And even in 159 00:05:26,829 --> 00:05:28,689 a for profit world, you need policies, 160 00:05:29,435 --> 00:05:30,954 procedures, and things set up to to have 161 00:05:30,954 --> 00:05:33,274 indigent care, to have charity care. So it 162 00:05:33,274 --> 00:05:34,795 all comes back to really having a staff 163 00:05:34,795 --> 00:05:36,334 that's educated, that understands 164 00:05:36,714 --> 00:05:38,334 this is a this is a a provider 165 00:05:38,875 --> 00:05:41,675 patient relationship when we can be genuine about 166 00:05:41,675 --> 00:05:43,770 the cost of the care and be most 167 00:05:43,770 --> 00:05:45,629 cost effective in delivering that care. 168 00:05:46,569 --> 00:05:48,569 And is there anything else you'd like to 169 00:05:48,569 --> 00:05:50,029 share or closing remarks, 170 00:05:50,330 --> 00:05:52,430 for the podcast today as we wrap up? 171 00:05:52,569 --> 00:05:54,170 No. I think I would really just like 172 00:05:54,170 --> 00:05:54,910 to communicate, 173 00:05:55,449 --> 00:05:56,810 what's been the theme of kind of the 174 00:05:56,810 --> 00:05:58,509 podcast so far, and that is 175 00:06:00,045 --> 00:06:02,285 that, so many times we it we we 176 00:06:02,285 --> 00:06:03,725 we will look at health care as a 177 00:06:03,725 --> 00:06:05,805 business, which it is a business, but it's 178 00:06:05,805 --> 00:06:08,685 it's also the element of actually touching patients, 179 00:06:08,685 --> 00:06:10,365 taking care of someone. It's their mother, father, 180 00:06:10,365 --> 00:06:11,665 brother, sister, and that 181 00:06:12,050 --> 00:06:13,649 that we we don't lose sight of that. 182 00:06:13,649 --> 00:06:15,430 That if if we do that well, 183 00:06:15,730 --> 00:06:16,949 we do that very well, 184 00:06:17,810 --> 00:06:20,370 the EBITDA, the business metrics will come, and, 185 00:06:20,610 --> 00:06:22,610 the efficiencies will be just automatically built in. 186 00:06:22,610 --> 00:06:23,889 Your people will care. They'll take care of 187 00:06:23,889 --> 00:06:25,889 your business. So I just I would really 188 00:06:25,889 --> 00:06:28,165 just just try to make sure that focus 189 00:06:28,545 --> 00:06:29,824 is prevalent, and, 190 00:06:30,944 --> 00:06:32,384 we're in health care, so we we care 191 00:06:32,384 --> 00:06:33,045 for people. 192 00:06:33,504 --> 00:06:35,824 Wonderful. Well, doctor Patiste, thanks so much for 193 00:06:35,824 --> 00:06:37,185 taking the time to join me today on 194 00:06:37,185 --> 00:06:39,425 the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. Again, we're live in 195 00:06:39,425 --> 00:06:42,165 the at the business and operations of ASCs. 196 00:06:43,008 --> 00:06:43,588 Thank you.