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To learn 13 00:00:30,649 --> 00:00:33,009 more, visit carecredit.com 14 00:00:33,009 --> 00:00:34,789 forward slash beckers podcast. 15 00:00:35,570 --> 00:00:37,489 This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare 16 00:00:37,489 --> 00:00:39,729 Podcast, and we're recording live at the thirty 17 00:00:39,729 --> 00:00:42,229 first annual business and operations of ASCs. 18 00:00:42,655 --> 00:00:44,814 I'm currently joined by Jeffrey Flynn, who is 19 00:00:44,814 --> 00:00:47,155 the president at the New York State Association 20 00:00:47,295 --> 00:00:49,314 of Ambulatory Surgery Centers. 21 00:00:49,774 --> 00:00:51,774 Thanks for being here today. Let's have you 22 00:00:51,774 --> 00:00:53,375 start by sharing a little bit more about 23 00:00:53,375 --> 00:00:55,475 yourself and your work in the ASC space. 24 00:00:56,039 --> 00:00:57,560 Thank you. Thank you for letting me be 25 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,880 here. As I am, I'm Jeff Flynn, and 26 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:01,480 I'm the president of the New York State 27 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,359 Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers. And I'm also 28 00:01:04,359 --> 00:01:06,840 the chief operating officer of the Gramercy Surgery 29 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:08,114 Centers in New York. 30 00:01:08,915 --> 00:01:11,155 I've been in the industries for twenty three 31 00:01:11,155 --> 00:01:14,114 years now and have seen tremendous growth across 32 00:01:14,114 --> 00:01:16,694 the board in it as more higher acuity 33 00:01:16,754 --> 00:01:19,555 procedures get to us and access of care 34 00:01:19,555 --> 00:01:20,694 opens up. And, 35 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,280 actually, the ease of certain CON states too 36 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:25,500 has actually been helpful. 37 00:01:26,439 --> 00:01:26,939 Wonderful. 38 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,159 Well, let's start with the ASC market. In 39 00:01:29,159 --> 00:01:32,680 The US, this is projected to reach $60,800,000,000 40 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,560 by 2030, and it continues to experience strong 41 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,064 year over year growth. So from your perspective, 42 00:01:38,064 --> 00:01:39,905 what are the most significant trends in market 43 00:01:39,905 --> 00:01:42,545 forces driving this expansion, and how should ASC 44 00:01:42,545 --> 00:01:44,005 leaders be preparing today? 45 00:01:44,465 --> 00:01:46,545 I think cost is the biggest factor that 46 00:01:46,545 --> 00:01:48,865 goes into the factors are just we've, have 47 00:01:48,865 --> 00:01:49,265 an unsustainable, 48 00:01:50,390 --> 00:01:53,049 climate health care cost in this country, and 49 00:01:53,509 --> 00:01:55,989 recognizing that the appropriate cost of service are 50 00:01:55,989 --> 00:01:57,849 not being followed. And as 51 00:01:58,790 --> 00:02:00,009 insurers, payers, 52 00:02:00,469 --> 00:02:03,590 and employers are actually now demanding that they 53 00:02:03,590 --> 00:02:05,875 wanna see with technology happening, 54 00:02:06,254 --> 00:02:08,814 the higher acuity cases going into the, 55 00:02:09,534 --> 00:02:12,194 lower cost settings, which are cost more efficient. 56 00:02:12,655 --> 00:02:15,534 We also provide a better patient experience because 57 00:02:15,534 --> 00:02:17,794 it's not the chaos of a hospital. 58 00:02:18,290 --> 00:02:20,290 Things run on time and go forward. So 59 00:02:20,290 --> 00:02:22,930 I see just as more cases keep going 60 00:02:22,930 --> 00:02:23,590 our direction, 61 00:02:24,050 --> 00:02:26,129 and we lose cases going forward. Like, for 62 00:02:26,129 --> 00:02:28,370 instance, cataracts eventually will be in the next 63 00:02:28,370 --> 00:02:30,210 two or three years in the office based 64 00:02:30,210 --> 00:02:30,710 setting. 65 00:02:31,245 --> 00:02:32,685 I don't think that's a thing to be 66 00:02:32,685 --> 00:02:34,605 concerned about. I think we embrace the higher 67 00:02:34,605 --> 00:02:37,185 acuity procedures as we bring those to us. 68 00:02:37,645 --> 00:02:38,145 Absolutely. 69 00:02:38,605 --> 00:02:41,025 And from AI and robotic surgeries to advanced 70 00:02:41,085 --> 00:02:41,985 EHR systems, 71 00:02:42,365 --> 00:02:44,844 technology remains a make or break factor and 72 00:02:44,844 --> 00:02:47,080 also a critical driver of ASC operations at 73 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,159 scale. So how do you see deeper tech 74 00:02:49,159 --> 00:02:51,879 integration shaping the way ASCs deliver care and 75 00:02:51,879 --> 00:02:54,060 manage their business over the next few years? 76 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,520 I think this is huge, and we actually 77 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,520 just had our New York State conference where 78 00:02:58,520 --> 00:02:59,420 we really did 79 00:02:59,925 --> 00:03:01,944 dive into this with one of our panels. 80 00:03:02,485 --> 00:03:05,384 From the situation of bringing and introducing robots 81 00:03:05,525 --> 00:03:06,004 into the, 82 00:03:07,205 --> 00:03:07,705 the 83 00:03:08,004 --> 00:03:10,324 ASC setting, we're not gonna have a choice 84 00:03:10,324 --> 00:03:11,064 in the future. 85 00:03:11,604 --> 00:03:15,500 The reality is is orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons 86 00:03:15,500 --> 00:03:17,680 coming out of a training now 87 00:03:18,060 --> 00:03:20,219 are looking for that robot. And unless they 88 00:03:20,219 --> 00:03:22,379 have that robot for a crutch, that's a 89 00:03:22,379 --> 00:03:23,926 real issue of them coming to the surgery 90 00:03:23,926 --> 00:03:23,997 centers. There's less and less laparoscopic surgery as 91 00:03:23,997 --> 00:03:24,219 the robotic is taking more aim for the 92 00:03:24,219 --> 00:03:24,719 future. 93 00:03:33,055 --> 00:03:35,694 Senses of billing and just expanding your bandwidth 94 00:03:35,694 --> 00:03:37,875 with certain simple things like 95 00:03:38,175 --> 00:03:40,094 that it's actually it sounds like a real 96 00:03:40,094 --> 00:03:41,715 person making your phone call 97 00:03:42,340 --> 00:03:43,719 to your patient confirmations. 98 00:03:44,019 --> 00:03:46,900 In a in a fairly busy center, patient 99 00:03:46,900 --> 00:03:49,459 confirmations take about four hours a day. If 100 00:03:49,459 --> 00:03:51,699 you can expand your bandwidth that that person's 101 00:03:51,699 --> 00:03:53,939 doing something else, that could be huge for 102 00:03:53,939 --> 00:03:54,439 you. 103 00:03:55,294 --> 00:03:57,634 And with 60% of health systems considering 104 00:03:58,014 --> 00:04:00,894 ASC joint ventures and many ASCs already partnering 105 00:04:00,894 --> 00:04:03,415 with systems in their communities, what opportunities do 106 00:04:03,415 --> 00:04:05,694 you see for collaboration, whether with other providers 107 00:04:05,694 --> 00:04:08,354 or vendors, to strengthen patient care and operational 108 00:04:08,414 --> 00:04:08,914 efficiency? 109 00:04:09,709 --> 00:04:10,849 I think there is 110 00:04:11,549 --> 00:04:13,169 a big force, and I've seen 111 00:04:13,629 --> 00:04:15,789 throughout the country in different areas, there are 112 00:04:15,789 --> 00:04:18,110 some hospital systems that don't know how to 113 00:04:18,110 --> 00:04:19,870 do it, but there are some hospital systems 114 00:04:19,870 --> 00:04:21,824 that really have known how to do it. 115 00:04:21,985 --> 00:04:24,064 And really have been in a situation where 116 00:04:24,064 --> 00:04:24,884 they can actually 117 00:04:25,824 --> 00:04:28,305 understand that they need to offload certain cases 118 00:04:28,305 --> 00:04:29,985 to to have room to do the higher 119 00:04:29,985 --> 00:04:32,305 acuity cases in the hospital, and they've embraced 120 00:04:32,305 --> 00:04:32,805 that. 121 00:04:33,665 --> 00:04:35,529 We have two particular health care systems in 122 00:04:35,529 --> 00:04:37,490 New York, the Mount Sinai health care system, 123 00:04:37,930 --> 00:04:40,410 their joint venture programs and also the Northwell 124 00:04:40,410 --> 00:04:41,470 joint venture programs, 125 00:04:41,850 --> 00:04:44,250 where it's a variety of different things, whether 126 00:04:44,250 --> 00:04:46,910 it's majority owned by the hospital or minority 127 00:04:46,970 --> 00:04:48,350 owned by the hospital systems. 128 00:04:48,875 --> 00:04:51,274 These centers have run efficiently, and they've actually 129 00:04:51,274 --> 00:04:53,274 gotten access of care to patients. And I 130 00:04:53,274 --> 00:04:55,774 think that's the key factors. We have ambulatory 131 00:04:55,914 --> 00:04:58,235 health care is what's getting access of care 132 00:04:58,235 --> 00:04:59,134 in the community. 133 00:05:00,074 --> 00:05:02,860 Well, Jeff, thanks for being here. I'd love 134 00:05:02,860 --> 00:05:05,019 to see if you have any other final 135 00:05:05,019 --> 00:05:06,860 thoughts you'd like to share or anything we 136 00:05:06,860 --> 00:05:08,620 didn't touch on that you'd like to discuss 137 00:05:08,620 --> 00:05:09,360 on the podcast. 138 00:05:09,660 --> 00:05:11,759 I just think anybody looking at the ambulatory 139 00:05:11,899 --> 00:05:14,379 surgery center setting and ambulatory health care in 140 00:05:14,379 --> 00:05:14,779 general, 141 00:05:15,784 --> 00:05:17,865 the one concern I think we have is 142 00:05:17,865 --> 00:05:20,345 we're somewhat having a brain drain, so to 143 00:05:20,345 --> 00:05:21,324 speak, because 144 00:05:21,944 --> 00:05:25,144 nobody trains to come into our fields. The 145 00:05:25,144 --> 00:05:27,485 the programs in educations now and the master's 146 00:05:27,544 --> 00:05:30,000 programs and some of the undergraduate programs are 147 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,480 all geared towards hospital setting systems, and I'd 148 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:34,339 like and we've been working with some, 149 00:05:34,639 --> 00:05:36,879 and I think the national organization needs to 150 00:05:36,879 --> 00:05:37,379 work 151 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,639 more carefully with some of the education programs 152 00:05:40,639 --> 00:05:43,060 to open up ambulatory health care management 153 00:05:43,995 --> 00:05:44,314 as, 154 00:05:44,795 --> 00:05:47,214 a teaching ability to go through in externships 155 00:05:47,274 --> 00:05:49,915 and internships because that's a concern I have 156 00:05:49,915 --> 00:05:52,495 as we further grow. But in the ASC 157 00:05:52,634 --> 00:05:54,795 community, this really is our time to for 158 00:05:54,875 --> 00:05:56,714 further grow. So it is a very exciting 159 00:05:56,714 --> 00:05:57,214 time. 160 00:05:57,919 --> 00:06:00,079 Well, thanks so much for being here. And 161 00:06:00,079 --> 00:06:02,399 again, we are recording live at the thirty 162 00:06:02,399 --> 00:06:05,300 first annual business and operations of ASCs. 163 00:06:05,759 --> 00:06:07,219 Thank you for having me.