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To learn 13 00:00:30,649 --> 00:00:32,929 more, visit carecredit.com 14 00:00:32,929 --> 00:00:34,789 forward slash beckerspodcast. 15 00:00:35,489 --> 00:00:37,649 Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast 16 00:00:37,649 --> 00:00:39,729 recorded live at the thirty first annual business 17 00:00:39,729 --> 00:00:41,270 and operations of ASCs. 18 00:00:41,890 --> 00:00:43,969 I'm joined today by doctor Ramesh Gaith, chief 19 00:00:43,969 --> 00:00:46,744 medical officer at DX TX Pain and Spine. 20 00:00:46,965 --> 00:00:48,325 Doctor Gaih, to kick us off, can you 21 00:00:48,325 --> 00:00:49,604 please share a little bit about yourself and 22 00:00:49,604 --> 00:00:50,725 the work and and your work in the 23 00:00:50,725 --> 00:00:53,364 ASC space? Hi. Thank you for having me. 24 00:00:53,364 --> 00:00:55,604 Well, as chief medical officer of DX TX, 25 00:00:55,604 --> 00:00:58,725 my role centers on optimizing how physicians and 26 00:00:58,725 --> 00:01:00,960 advanced practice providers deliver complex 27 00:01:01,359 --> 00:01:04,659 interventional procedures in the ambulatory surgery center environment. 28 00:01:05,599 --> 00:01:08,159 My clinical background is in interventional pain and 29 00:01:08,159 --> 00:01:08,659 spine, 30 00:01:09,119 --> 00:01:11,920 and I spent much of my career helping 31 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,479 to design and expand ASCs that could provide 32 00:01:14,479 --> 00:01:15,379 highly specialized, 33 00:01:15,895 --> 00:01:17,995 cost effective, and patient centered care 34 00:01:18,375 --> 00:01:21,094 outside of the hospital setting. At DXTX, I 35 00:01:21,094 --> 00:01:24,234 focus on ensuring that clinical quality and operational 36 00:01:24,295 --> 00:01:27,094 efficiency and patient alignment move in lockstep while 37 00:01:27,094 --> 00:01:29,974 also mentoring medical directors and provider teams across 38 00:01:29,974 --> 00:01:30,635 the network. 39 00:01:31,019 --> 00:01:33,500 This still perspective, both as a practicing physician 40 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:35,260 and a system level leader, gives me a 41 00:01:35,260 --> 00:01:38,239 clear view into what drives ASC success today 42 00:01:38,299 --> 00:01:40,479 and what will define it in the future. 43 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:43,259 So the ASC market in The US is 44 00:01:43,259 --> 00:01:45,739 projected to reach $60,800,000,000 45 00:01:45,739 --> 00:01:46,635 by 2030 46 00:01:46,715 --> 00:01:49,034 and continues to experience strong year over year 47 00:01:49,034 --> 00:01:51,435 growth. From your perspective, what are the most 48 00:01:51,435 --> 00:01:54,234 significant trends in market forces driving this expansion, 49 00:01:54,234 --> 00:01:56,495 and how should ASC leaders be preparing today? 50 00:01:56,954 --> 00:01:58,015 That's a great question. 51 00:01:58,555 --> 00:02:01,209 You know, there are several factors that are 52 00:02:01,209 --> 00:02:03,469 converging to drive ASC growth. 53 00:02:04,170 --> 00:02:05,469 First and foremost, 54 00:02:05,929 --> 00:02:09,310 payers and policymakers continue to migrate higher acuity 55 00:02:09,370 --> 00:02:09,870 cases 56 00:02:10,250 --> 00:02:12,909 to the outpatient settings due to safety data, 57 00:02:12,969 --> 00:02:14,810 the lower cost that we experience in the 58 00:02:14,810 --> 00:02:16,955 ASC setting, and the patient preferences. 59 00:02:17,574 --> 00:02:20,074 Secondly, the patients themselves are more informed consumers. 60 00:02:20,694 --> 00:02:21,914 They want the convenience. 61 00:02:22,294 --> 00:02:23,514 They want the accessibility, 62 00:02:23,974 --> 00:02:26,694 and they want the value, which the ASCs 63 00:02:26,694 --> 00:02:27,435 can provide. 64 00:02:27,949 --> 00:02:31,409 And thirdly, the physicians are increasingly seeking ownership 65 00:02:31,870 --> 00:02:35,250 and leadership opportunities outside of the hospital systems, 66 00:02:35,389 --> 00:02:36,289 and ASCs 67 00:02:36,909 --> 00:02:39,889 give them both that clinical autonomy, but also 68 00:02:40,269 --> 00:02:41,569 the financial alignment. 69 00:02:42,344 --> 00:02:45,465 So from AI and robotic surgeries to advanced 70 00:02:45,465 --> 00:02:48,664 EHR systems, technology remains both a make or 71 00:02:48,664 --> 00:02:51,144 break factor and a critical driver of ASC 72 00:02:51,144 --> 00:02:52,364 operations at scale. 73 00:02:52,905 --> 00:02:55,224 How do you see deeper tech integration shaping 74 00:02:55,224 --> 00:02:57,680 the way ASCs deliver care and manage their 75 00:02:57,680 --> 00:02:59,219 business over the next few years? 76 00:02:59,759 --> 00:03:02,180 Well, that's a very interesting question because technology 77 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,120 is no longer a nice to have in 78 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,000 ASCs, quote, unquote, but it's really a core 79 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:08,500 differentiator. 80 00:03:08,985 --> 00:03:11,724 I see three main areas where technology integration 81 00:03:11,784 --> 00:03:13,085 will reshape our field. 82 00:03:13,544 --> 00:03:17,085 Clinical precision, being robotics and navigation tools, being 83 00:03:17,145 --> 00:03:18,685 absolutely essential in AOR, 84 00:03:19,064 --> 00:03:19,564 operational 85 00:03:19,865 --> 00:03:20,365 optimization, 86 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,300 utilizing advanced EHRs and AI powered analytics 87 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,340 to streamline your scheduling to staffing, 88 00:03:27,879 --> 00:03:30,599 the inventory, etcetera, that we all rely on 89 00:03:30,599 --> 00:03:33,020 in ASC, and also and most importantly, 90 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:34,460 patient engagement, 91 00:03:35,075 --> 00:03:38,615 Digital informed consent. Digitizing the informed consent process 92 00:03:38,675 --> 00:03:41,075 like we did over a year ago with 93 00:03:41,075 --> 00:03:43,175 mobile follow-up and remote monitoring 94 00:03:43,474 --> 00:03:46,615 will extend the ASC experience beyond four walls, 95 00:03:46,675 --> 00:03:49,014 improving outcomes, but also patient satisfaction. 96 00:03:49,629 --> 00:03:51,629 So, doctor Gaeth, I'm very curious. Is there 97 00:03:51,629 --> 00:03:52,370 one particular 98 00:03:52,669 --> 00:03:55,069 technology or innovation that stands out to you 99 00:03:55,069 --> 00:03:56,370 as especially transformative? 100 00:03:57,389 --> 00:03:58,770 Yes. I do see this 101 00:03:59,229 --> 00:03:59,729 AI 102 00:04:01,469 --> 00:04:02,930 data analytic world, 103 00:04:03,310 --> 00:04:05,764 coming upon us here. And by combining the 104 00:04:05,764 --> 00:04:07,705 clinical outcomes, the data 105 00:04:08,004 --> 00:04:10,885 with financial and operational metrics, the AECs could 106 00:04:10,885 --> 00:04:12,344 predict case profitability, 107 00:04:12,965 --> 00:04:15,844 optimize scheduling down to the block level, and 108 00:04:15,844 --> 00:04:17,785 benchmark outcomes across networks. 109 00:04:18,529 --> 00:04:20,050 That's gonna be a game changer for both 110 00:04:20,050 --> 00:04:22,230 quality and for sustainability in the future. 111 00:04:23,090 --> 00:04:25,970 With 60% of health systems considering ASC joint 112 00:04:25,970 --> 00:04:28,610 ventures and many ASCs already partnering with systems 113 00:04:28,610 --> 00:04:29,350 in their communities, 114 00:04:29,810 --> 00:04:32,350 what opportunities do you see for collaboration, whether 115 00:04:32,350 --> 00:04:33,110 with other providers or vendors, 116 00:04:38,485 --> 00:04:40,264 full of really great questions today because 117 00:04:40,884 --> 00:04:43,685 collaboration is really no longer an option. It's 118 00:04:43,685 --> 00:04:44,185 essential. 119 00:04:44,564 --> 00:04:46,725 The joint ventures with health systems can bring 120 00:04:46,725 --> 00:04:49,819 scale, patient pipelines, and payer leverage, while while 121 00:04:49,819 --> 00:04:52,399 independent ASC operators can contribute to the speed, 122 00:04:52,699 --> 00:04:55,180 the innovation, and the patient alignment, or rather 123 00:04:55,180 --> 00:04:56,240 the physician alignment. 124 00:04:56,540 --> 00:04:59,420 Beyond health system partnerships, I see tremendous opportunities 125 00:04:59,420 --> 00:05:01,980 with vendors and technology partners who can help 126 00:05:01,980 --> 00:05:05,264 standardize supply chains, integrate data systems, and bring 127 00:05:05,264 --> 00:05:07,845 new clinical capabilities to the outpatient settings. 128 00:05:08,865 --> 00:05:10,625 Well, doctor Guy, before I let you go, 129 00:05:10,625 --> 00:05:12,305 is there anything else we didn't touch on 130 00:05:12,305 --> 00:05:14,165 or any final thoughts you'd like to share? 131 00:05:14,384 --> 00:05:16,084 Yeah. You know, I I think that 132 00:05:16,785 --> 00:05:18,944 going forward in the future, ACs are not 133 00:05:18,944 --> 00:05:21,060 just about shifting the site of service 134 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:22,959 as as a lot of folks like to 135 00:05:22,959 --> 00:05:26,080 look at it. They really represent a paradigm 136 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:27,920 shift in how we think about value in 137 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:28,580 health care. 138 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,120 The leaders who thrive will be those who 139 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:33,620 balance clinical excellence with operational discipline, 140 00:05:34,095 --> 00:05:36,595 embrace innovation without losing sight of compliance, 141 00:05:36,895 --> 00:05:39,235 and foster cultures where physicians, 142 00:05:39,615 --> 00:05:40,115 APPs, 143 00:05:40,495 --> 00:05:43,375 nurses, and staff all feel invested in the 144 00:05:43,375 --> 00:05:43,875 mission. 145 00:05:44,254 --> 00:05:46,814 At DXTX Pain is buying, we believe ASCs 146 00:05:46,814 --> 00:05:49,410 are the future of specialty care, and our 147 00:05:49,410 --> 00:05:51,329 job as leaders is to ensure that that 148 00:05:51,329 --> 00:05:53,189 future is defined by quality, 149 00:05:53,569 --> 00:05:55,189 access, and patient trust. 150 00:05:55,569 --> 00:05:57,410 Well, doctor Guy, thank you again for joining 151 00:05:57,410 --> 00:05:59,169 us today on the Becker's HealthCare podcast, and 152 00:05:59,169 --> 00:06:00,529 have a great rest of your day. Thank 153 00:06:00,529 --> 00:06:01,029 you.