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This is Alan Connan with the Becker's ASC
podcast. And I'm thrilled to be joined today
by Rebecca Craig, CEO at Harmony Surgery Center,
which is a joint venture partnership between the
University of Colorado Health,
I. E. UCHealth,
and local physicians.
Rebecca, a pleasure to have you join the
podcast
today. For those of our listeners who might
not be as familiar with you, your surgery
center, or the work that you do, do
you mind taking a moment to give us
a little bit more insight into the role
and your background?
Absolutely. And thanks for having me on Becker's
podcast.
Appreciate the time.
Just a little bit about myself. Like you
said, I'm the CEO for Harmony Surgery Center
and, Peak Surgical Management.
This facility, we I helped open twenty five
years ago. We're a large multi specialty surgery
center,
five ORs and six procedure rooms.
And like you said, we're a joint venture
with UCHealth.
We're accredited
by the joint commission. And last year, we
had the honor of serving over 25,
thousand patients.
And,
as far as the management company, we formed
Peak Surgical Management in 02/2007,
and that was just to help us continue
allow managing Harmony Surgery Center
and,
doing
other development
projects such as other developing other ASCs
and,
providing
just consulting health care services
for whoever needed assistance, whoever gave us a
call.
So a little bit about myself. I'm a
I started out in the OR as a
OR nurse circulating and scrubbing
and
worked in PACU and GI and pain management.
So all those areas just really folded in
wonderfully to my career in the the ASC
industry and
got my MBA after,
after a while of of doing this. And
it's just been a great compliment, and I
feel very,
very grateful to have such
a career that I love and and enjoy
and a wonderful team of people that I
work with.
Yeah. Fantastic. Thanks so much for the the
brief breakdown there. Certainly, it seems like you
wear many different hats, I think it's fair
to say, on any given day.
Both a CEO of Harmony Surgery Center, also
in terms of those consulting services as well.
Rebecca, when you're
as CEO
of your ASC, when you're sup survey the
ASC industry today,
what are kind of two or three key
trends that you're paying close attention to and
why?
Well, on a more, facility level, it was
still a national issue, but,
I I think I
I felt important to mention it. Currently, we're
working on the new AMI standards, the AMI
s t one zero eight standards and being
compliant. I
think last year, we heard a little bit
about it, but
as other ASCs were being surveyed and,
cited for deficiencies,
I think it was it's important to just
talk about that. So, hopefully, everybody's
getting that word because most of our instrumentation
has IFUs or,
instructions for use that we have to follow.
And a lot of those instrumentation,
processing, it requires critical water
and in our reprocessing
area,
So sterile processing.
And to meet that critical water requirement,
a lot of ASCs will need to invest
in pricey water treatments
systems back in their sterile processing areas.
So hopefully everybody is working on that.
Otherwise,
whether the state comes in, federal, or your
crediting body comes in, we're gonna see more
and more deficiencies cited. So, hopefully, everybody's,
on point with that and working working on
that. I know it was I was had
a sticker shock when,
when the company came in and let us
know how much our investment was gonna be,
but I just think people need to be
working on that.
I guess the other thing that people need
to be keeping an eye on, which I
think we all are, we've it's been around.
So site neutrality, I'm just
on a on a federal level keeping an
eye on that those discussions.
And then facility fees
that came around to Colorado
and other states, and we're just wanting to
make sure that,
we don't want it to impact ASCs. I
think they're that legislation
has been geared towards,
I'll just make it global, but other other
entities.
And we just wanna make sure it inadvertently
doesn't impact surgery centers.
So continuing to educate our legislators on that.
Yeah. I I guess,
just quick thought to follow-up on the AMES
t one zero eight standards. You'd obviously mentioned,
the sterile processing aspect. I'm just curious. Are
there any other particular challenges you've come up
against in terms of being compliant there or
anything you're doing, to kinda stay on top
of those?
Well, I I think educating ourselves
because, again, yesterday I I don't know exactly
when they were approved, but last year was
when we started to hear more about it.
I think ASCA had a
education on it earlier in the year, but
surprisingly,
I I didn't see a lot on it.
I I guess I would imagine more to
be out on it because that's that's a
huge
a huge undertaking for a lot of ASCs,
whether you're two OR ASCs or whether you're
you're large. I think everybody needs to be
doing their assessment
on what you know, looking at your IFUs
to see what specifically,
the IFUs say. But if if you need
critical water and you're just using,
tap water in your sterile you know, your
washers, your big stairs washers, or you you
need to be looking at all of that
and assessing,
whether if it's just if you just do
GI, OR, what whatever your needs are, you
need to be doing that assessment now so
you can because, again, if you have to
work with a, a company to install those
water treatment systems, it's a huge undertaking. So
I think everybody just needs to be jumping
on it and looking at their facility to
make sure you're good or if not, what
you need to be to, you know, to
be compliant.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And and in terms of
the other things you mentioned,
obviously, no doubt on the top of most
ASC leaders' minds when we think about site
neutrality,
the the move from hospitals pushing towards site
neutral payments. Facility fees, obviously, a big a
big one in Colorado.
In terms of the the new administration that
we're under now, is there are there any
changes that you are
more more concerned about or anything you see
coming down the pipeline? I know there's so
much in the up in the air at
the moment. How do you kinda stay on
top of,
news from Capitol Hill and how it may
or may not affect your ASC?
Well, I'm actually excited about this administration because
previously,
they were very helpful
in decreasing administrative burden for ASCs. We we
saw a little bit of relief.
So I was,
I I'm hopeful.
I think the they they're focusing on efficiency,
and that's right up our alley. So I
think that,
it could have some positive impacts for our
industry.
I think. And then kind of following on
directly from that, we talked a little bit
about some of the challenges, some of the
trends that you're focused on there. When you
look ahead,
what are you most focused on or most
excited about as it pertains to to your
center at the moment?
Well, I think I'm I'm proud of last
year when we added our fifth OR and
our sixth procedure room
with that renovation. I'm proud of,
that project in general because it came in
under budget on time. We didn't have any
interim life safety issues, and my team was
very flexible and supportive of the renovation.
So I think that was a win win.
So I'm I'm pretty proud of that, accomplishment
that we that we did last year. And
looking forward,
I'll be working on, you know, of course,
making sure that that is utilized and our
business continues to grow.
Yeah. Fantastic. I mean, what I think definitely
worth, giving a feather in your cap there.
Five awards, I believe you said, six procedure
rooms. I believe you said cater to 25,000
patients, if I'm not mistaken, last year.
Can you can you give us some insight?
What were the keys,
in your view to bringing that project
under budget and on time?
Well, I think just staying on top of
everything, we're very involved.
We had a great,
construction company and a project team.
So I think that everybody worked well together.
And, again, just being very I I have
a wonderful team that surrounds me. I think
that's
that's has led our facility to be successful,
very just very involved in in the day
to day and making sure that I don't
know. We're just I think that's the biggest
thing is we're just very involved and very
dedicated to the success of the center.
Our hearts are
very involved, and it means a lot to
us that we save every little penny that
we can, but ensuring that we end up
with a a great
a great outcome. And, again, our project or
our our construction team,
with Beacon Construction was they did an excellent
job. So I think that whole picture
lended itself to a successful outcome.
Fantastic. It's great to hear a little bit
more about you, the CEO, the team around
you.
Rebecca, last question I have before I let
you go.
The ASC space, such a exciting
yet challenging time, but but plenty to look
forward to, plenty coming down the pipeline.
What advice would you give to
emerging leaders in the ASC space today?
Well, I think being involved on a state
level and a federal level, that that's how
you learn.
That's how you can network.
And I know personally that's how I grew.
I tried to jump into the state and
federal,
whether it was our state association
or ASCA.
And
I I think being involved, that's that's the
best way. And they ASCA's got some great
mentoring programs.
So I think for for new emerging leaders,
which we need those, and if hopefully, all
ASCs are trying to work on their succession
planning within their surgery centers to make sure
that
when, somebody retires, those those shoes are filled.
But,
yeah, I I would just say be involved.
And whether it's going to Becker's,
it's it's all that. That's what I did
to develop myself, and I I think that
I think that that all is very helpful.
I think some excellent advice and food for
thought to round out our discussion today.
Rebecca, a real pleasure to get to connect
you today, make your debut appearance on the
Beckers podcast, and certainly look forward to catching
up with you and your team down the
line. Thank you. Thank you so much for
having me.