Looking for a solution that helps alleviate administrative
tasks for your staff and also helps your
patients cover their out of pocket health care
expenses?
Find what you're looking for from CareCredit because
CareCredit is a credit card and more. It's
a helping hand for staff and a flexible
payment solution for patients. For over thirty years,
CareCredit, a Synchrony solution, has offered patients a
credit card with promotional financing options to get
the care they want while helping staff do
what they do best, provide care. To learn
more, visit carecredit.com
forward slash beckerspodcast.
This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare
Podcast, and we are recording live at the
thirty first annual business and operations of ASCs.
I'm currently joined by Carrie Marut, who is
the administrator at Mentor Surgery Center. Carrie, thanks
for joining us today. Let's kick off by
having you share a little bit about yourself
and your work in the ASC space. Well,
first of all, thank you for having me.
I started in the ASC space about five
years ago.
I was working at a large hospital
organization
running the operating room, same day surgery,
pain management,
endo, CS, all the things that, come in
with the surgery space. The doctors recruited me
to come over to the ASC side as
a director of nursing and then the administrator
shortly after that. And I've been there ever
since. I'm an RN by trade, but love
the administrative world.
Wonderful. Well, thanks for taking the time to
be here.
And let's start our conversation
talking about the ASC market. Because in The
US, this is projected to reach 60,800,000,000.0
by 2030
and continues to experience strong year over year
growth. So from your perspective, what are the
most significant trends in market forces driving this
expansion, and how should ASC leaders be preparing
for today?
I think a lot of the force that's
driving
the, expansion of ASCs are actually patients.
You know, patients come into an ASC. It's
a little bit more formal or less formal
than a hospital space. They feel a little
bit more comfortable
with the atmosphere.
It's a little less expensive when you look
at their deductibles
that they have to pay,
and, it's actually way more efficient.
So
the partnership with larger hospitals
and them looking out for the benefit of
their patients,
I feel like, is a is a huge
factor. I think people should just be prepared
to have a a higher rate of patients
coming through their door,
look at their turnovers,
look at
their,
greeting the patients, and making the patients just
feel as most comfortable as possible.
Absolutely.
And from AI and robotic surgeries to advanced
EHR systems,
technology remains both a make or break factor
and a critical driver of ASC operations at
scale. So how do you see deeper tech
integration shaping the way ASCs deliver care and
manage the business over the next few years?
It's kind of funny. We, started out and
when I became, administrator over at the ASC,
we were actually charting on paper still, which
I believe a lot of people still do.
We've integrated,
an EHR recently into our surgery center.
And
the actual
time that the nurses get to spend with
the patients
went up because of the EHR.
Everything is really nice. It's pretty much prepopulated
for you in that. And it's a few
questions and click of the button, and basically,
your medical record is done. And so it
allows the nurses
to engage with the patients, talk to them
a little bit more, make them feel more
comfortable on the settings.
We do not currently have robotics, but, I
know just from past experience at the hospitals
that robotics also is huge,
in how quickly patients can get in and
out and how less invasive some of the
procedures can be. And so I think in
the ASC space, it's also,
a a great thing to have. I wish
we did.
But, unfortunately,
we're love to grow a little bit more
first.
Absolutely.
And with 60% of health systems considering ASC
joint ventures and many ASCs already partnering with
systems in their communities,
what opportunities do you see for collaboration, whether
with other providers or vendors to strengthen
to strengthen patient care and operational efficiency?
I think collaboration is important in any adventure,
and ASC especially, whether it's with your vendors
that you choose to help streamline
your billing
or collecting
or anything in your space when it comes
to supplies,
how to make your operation more efficient, anything
like that that you can do and you
find a good partner who sees the same
vision as you do, it's off,
obviously,
a greater experience
for the patient.
As far as, joint ventures go, it's always
nice to have a partnership with a larger
organization
who can also drive patients to your ASC.
And, honestly,
it's it's just better for the patients. I
mean, the experience, like I said earlier,
the cost,
to operate in an ASC versus,
a hospital
and getting those patients there and the procedures
there that can be done in an ASC
is just gonna make health care and patients,
you know, just so much happier.
Absolutely. Well, Carrie, thanks so much for joining
me today. Is there anything we didn't touch
on or any final thoughts you'd like to
share on the podcast?
I just really,
appreciate being here.
Thanks
to Alec for having me from CareCredit.
And, I hope that next year I'm able
to do the same. Wonderful. Well, thanks so
much. And again, we are recording live at
the thirty first annual business and operations of
ASCs. Thanks so much.