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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 beckers podcast. 15 00:00:35,409 --> 00:00:37,329 This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare 16 00:00:37,329 --> 00:00:39,329 Podcast, and we're recording live at the thirty 17 00:00:39,329 --> 00:00:41,909 first annual business and operations of ASCs. 18 00:00:42,484 --> 00:00:44,965 I'm currently joined by doctor Benjamin Levy, who 19 00:00:44,965 --> 00:00:45,704 is a gastroenterologist 20 00:00:46,244 --> 00:00:48,405 and a clinical associate of medicine at the 21 00:00:48,405 --> 00:00:49,545 University of Chicago. 22 00:00:49,924 --> 00:00:51,844 Thanks for being here. Let's have you kick 23 00:00:51,844 --> 00:00:53,445 us off by sharing a little bit more 24 00:00:53,445 --> 00:00:55,045 about yourself and your work in the ASC 25 00:00:55,045 --> 00:00:55,545 space. 26 00:00:56,289 --> 00:00:57,809 Well, thanks for having me. 27 00:00:58,289 --> 00:01:00,390 I'm always excited to come to this conference 28 00:01:01,090 --> 00:01:03,170 and, learn from my colleagues from around the 29 00:01:03,170 --> 00:01:04,310 country and brainstorm 30 00:01:04,769 --> 00:01:08,310 about trends and how to just practice medicine 31 00:01:08,369 --> 00:01:09,510 better and more efficiently. 32 00:01:10,444 --> 00:01:11,584 I am a gastroenterologist 33 00:01:12,204 --> 00:01:13,825 at the University of Chicago, 34 00:01:14,444 --> 00:01:14,944 and 35 00:01:15,245 --> 00:01:17,584 I have been involved with, 36 00:01:18,284 --> 00:01:20,545 they have, ASC called Ingalls 37 00:01:20,924 --> 00:01:21,984 Same Day Surgery. 38 00:01:22,924 --> 00:01:23,424 And 39 00:01:23,740 --> 00:01:25,599 I scoped there on Fridays, 40 00:01:26,299 --> 00:01:30,000 and it's been a really amazing experience, 41 00:01:30,859 --> 00:01:34,000 to help try to make things more efficient 42 00:01:34,219 --> 00:01:35,599 and to improve 43 00:01:36,435 --> 00:01:38,515 the delivery of health care to an even 44 00:01:38,515 --> 00:01:40,475 higher level. It's always amazing at the University 45 00:01:40,475 --> 00:01:41,094 of Chicago. 46 00:01:41,635 --> 00:01:43,334 Our system is so well organized. 47 00:01:44,275 --> 00:01:46,375 But over the past couple years, 48 00:01:46,674 --> 00:01:48,834 I've been thinking a lot about trends in 49 00:01:48,834 --> 00:01:50,755 GI, and I'm excited to talk with you 50 00:01:50,755 --> 00:01:51,655 about that today. 51 00:01:52,010 --> 00:01:54,250 Awesome. Well, thanks for being here. And let's 52 00:01:54,250 --> 00:01:56,890 start our conversation with the ASC market. Because 53 00:01:56,890 --> 00:02:00,010 in The US, it's projected to reach $60,800,000,000 54 00:02:00,010 --> 00:02:01,049 by 2030 55 00:02:01,049 --> 00:02:03,290 and continues to experience strong year over year 56 00:02:03,290 --> 00:02:05,655 growth. So from your perspective, what is the 57 00:02:05,655 --> 00:02:06,474 most significant 58 00:02:06,854 --> 00:02:09,655 trend and market forces driving this expansion, and 59 00:02:09,655 --> 00:02:11,995 how should ASC leaders be preparing today? 60 00:02:12,534 --> 00:02:14,294 Well, I think there are several things going 61 00:02:14,294 --> 00:02:14,775 on. 62 00:02:15,175 --> 00:02:17,354 The most exciting thing is that we 63 00:02:17,969 --> 00:02:19,430 recently changed the 64 00:02:19,729 --> 00:02:22,709 recommended screening age to begin screening colonoscopies 65 00:02:23,489 --> 00:02:25,889 based on age, and we lowered the age 66 00:02:25,889 --> 00:02:29,909 from 50 to 49. Now there are 19,000,000 67 00:02:30,435 --> 00:02:32,754 new Americans that need to be scoped all 68 00:02:32,754 --> 00:02:33,415 of a sudden, 69 00:02:33,955 --> 00:02:37,175 between those ages of 45 and 49. 70 00:02:37,635 --> 00:02:38,135 And 71 00:02:38,435 --> 00:02:40,455 because of that, we're seeing a huge, 72 00:02:41,155 --> 00:02:43,094 growth in the number of of colonoscopies 73 00:02:43,474 --> 00:02:45,155 that we're doing. So you add that to 74 00:02:45,155 --> 00:02:47,750 the mix of the patients we're already screening 75 00:02:47,750 --> 00:02:48,969 of 50 and older, 76 00:02:49,430 --> 00:02:51,050 and there's a huge demand. 77 00:02:51,430 --> 00:02:52,810 The advantage of ASCs 78 00:02:53,270 --> 00:02:53,770 over, 79 00:02:54,229 --> 00:02:54,729 performing 80 00:02:55,750 --> 00:02:56,250 colonoscopies 81 00:02:56,550 --> 00:02:58,155 in a hospital is that, 82 00:02:58,555 --> 00:03:00,314 many times, not all the time, but many 83 00:03:00,314 --> 00:03:02,414 times, we're able to improve the efficiency, 84 00:03:03,275 --> 00:03:04,655 the turnaround times. 85 00:03:05,995 --> 00:03:09,115 ASCs are are able especially if you're building 86 00:03:09,115 --> 00:03:10,094 out a new ASC, 87 00:03:10,395 --> 00:03:12,974 you're able to think about how to 88 00:03:14,290 --> 00:03:16,689 really work on the turnaround time, try to 89 00:03:16,689 --> 00:03:17,510 get anesthesia, 90 00:03:18,770 --> 00:03:20,530 to be able to see the patients really 91 00:03:20,530 --> 00:03:21,030 quickly. 92 00:03:21,569 --> 00:03:23,650 And while we're writing the notes, have the 93 00:03:23,650 --> 00:03:24,150 anesthesiologist 94 00:03:25,250 --> 00:03:27,215 working on the next patient. And there are 95 00:03:27,215 --> 00:03:29,314 many ways that we're able to get ASCs 96 00:03:29,455 --> 00:03:30,275 super efficient. 97 00:03:31,534 --> 00:03:34,094 And also the use of propofol has allowed 98 00:03:34,094 --> 00:03:35,935 us to do more procedures in the day 99 00:03:35,935 --> 00:03:38,914 because of the turnaround times, easier sedation, 100 00:03:39,215 --> 00:03:41,715 letting the gastroenterologist focus on patient care. 101 00:03:42,810 --> 00:03:44,510 So it's super exciting. 102 00:03:44,969 --> 00:03:47,930 The reason that we re reduced the age 103 00:03:47,930 --> 00:03:49,550 from 50 to 49 104 00:03:49,849 --> 00:03:52,590 is that the American Cancer Society, 105 00:03:53,930 --> 00:03:54,430 first 106 00:03:54,969 --> 00:03:55,469 noticed 107 00:03:55,849 --> 00:03:56,590 a blip 108 00:03:56,985 --> 00:03:59,004 and increased the number of early 109 00:03:59,305 --> 00:03:59,805 onset 110 00:04:00,185 --> 00:04:01,004 of colorectal 111 00:04:01,305 --> 00:04:02,205 cancer cases, 112 00:04:02,664 --> 00:04:04,824 especially around the age of 49. So the 113 00:04:04,824 --> 00:04:07,705 thought was, if we begin screening age 45, 114 00:04:07,705 --> 00:04:09,465 we can try to remove the polyps before 115 00:04:09,465 --> 00:04:10,844 they turn into a cancer. 116 00:04:11,669 --> 00:04:13,610 So I think this is the biggest opportunity, 117 00:04:13,669 --> 00:04:14,650 at least in GI, 118 00:04:15,110 --> 00:04:16,330 for our growth. 119 00:04:17,990 --> 00:04:20,329 And our job is to make sure that 120 00:04:20,709 --> 00:04:22,410 we are able to 121 00:04:23,110 --> 00:04:24,810 fully schedule at ASCs 122 00:04:26,165 --> 00:04:28,504 and to take advantage of the opportunity 123 00:04:28,884 --> 00:04:30,805 when a provider goes there to try to 124 00:04:30,805 --> 00:04:32,264 do as many 125 00:04:32,805 --> 00:04:35,464 procedures as we can and to 126 00:04:35,764 --> 00:04:36,745 try to minimize 127 00:04:37,205 --> 00:04:38,425 any patient cancellations, 128 00:04:38,805 --> 00:04:41,220 to try to make that patient experience really, 129 00:04:41,220 --> 00:04:42,039 really awesome. 130 00:04:42,419 --> 00:04:44,519 And a lot of that has to focus 131 00:04:44,579 --> 00:04:45,079 on 132 00:04:45,699 --> 00:04:47,000 the care that we do 133 00:04:47,379 --> 00:04:49,459 before the patient gets there, make sure that 134 00:04:49,459 --> 00:04:52,039 the instructions are super clear, make sure there's 135 00:04:52,500 --> 00:04:54,759 really good communication between the ASC 136 00:04:55,604 --> 00:04:57,064 and the patient 137 00:04:57,524 --> 00:04:58,264 and an anesthesia 138 00:04:58,805 --> 00:04:59,305 anesthesiology 139 00:04:59,685 --> 00:05:00,664 team and the patient. 140 00:05:01,444 --> 00:05:03,044 But this is a really exciting time. At 141 00:05:03,044 --> 00:05:05,224 the same time, you know, we're always fearful, 142 00:05:06,324 --> 00:05:10,024 about any kind of, reduction in in 143 00:05:10,370 --> 00:05:11,669 reimbursement for our procedures. 144 00:05:13,409 --> 00:05:16,229 So, you know, fortunately, we have our societies 145 00:05:16,449 --> 00:05:18,610 that are trying to advocate for patients and 146 00:05:18,610 --> 00:05:19,589 make sure that, 147 00:05:20,129 --> 00:05:20,789 our insurance 148 00:05:21,169 --> 00:05:21,669 covers 149 00:05:21,970 --> 00:05:24,935 this really important great care that we're providing 150 00:05:24,935 --> 00:05:26,394 to prevent colon cancer. 151 00:05:27,095 --> 00:05:29,274 And I'm I'm involved, 152 00:05:30,055 --> 00:05:31,595 with American College of Gastroenterology, 153 00:05:32,854 --> 00:05:35,330 and there are a lot of gastroologists, you 154 00:05:35,330 --> 00:05:37,430 know, who are involved with our national organization. 155 00:05:37,730 --> 00:05:40,230 So this is a really, really exciting time, 156 00:05:41,089 --> 00:05:43,649 as we just try to improve and prevent 157 00:05:43,649 --> 00:05:44,470 colon cancer. 158 00:05:45,170 --> 00:05:48,129 One hundred percent. So shifting gears slightly from 159 00:05:48,129 --> 00:05:51,064 AI and robotic surgeries to advanced EHR systems, 160 00:05:51,524 --> 00:05:53,845 technology remains both a make or break factor 161 00:05:53,845 --> 00:05:55,925 and a critical driver of ASC operations at 162 00:05:55,925 --> 00:05:57,925 scale. So how do you see deeper tech 163 00:05:57,925 --> 00:06:00,485 integration shaping the way ASCs deliver care and 164 00:06:00,485 --> 00:06:02,504 manage their business over the next few years? 165 00:06:02,979 --> 00:06:05,139 So this is a super exciting time for 166 00:06:05,139 --> 00:06:07,399 the integration of AI into our workspace. 167 00:06:08,180 --> 00:06:09,959 One of the most exciting things, 168 00:06:10,579 --> 00:06:13,779 that has come down recently is, the event 169 00:06:13,779 --> 00:06:14,279 of, 170 00:06:14,740 --> 00:06:15,240 computer 171 00:06:16,725 --> 00:06:19,285 assisted detection of colon polyps. And there are 172 00:06:19,285 --> 00:06:21,625 several different companies that are creating this software. 173 00:06:22,645 --> 00:06:25,764 The first company that really got involved in 174 00:06:25,764 --> 00:06:27,465 GI in this, particular 175 00:06:28,529 --> 00:06:29,029 space, 176 00:06:29,490 --> 00:06:29,810 was, 177 00:06:31,089 --> 00:06:31,909 GI Genius. 178 00:06:32,610 --> 00:06:34,870 And, basically, it puts a little box 179 00:06:35,250 --> 00:06:37,649 around a potential colon polyp. And it's up 180 00:06:37,649 --> 00:06:39,810 to the gastroenterologist to decide whether it's actual 181 00:06:39,810 --> 00:06:41,384 polyp or not and to remove it. 182 00:06:41,944 --> 00:06:43,305 But I like to think of it as, 183 00:06:43,305 --> 00:06:44,824 like, an extra set of eyes in the 184 00:06:44,824 --> 00:06:47,145 room. So you have the gastroenterologist looking at 185 00:06:47,145 --> 00:06:48,685 the screen, looking for polyps. 186 00:06:49,145 --> 00:06:51,645 You should be having your tech and nurse 187 00:06:51,705 --> 00:06:53,865 at the same time, especially your tech, trying 188 00:06:53,865 --> 00:06:54,810 to look for polyps. 189 00:06:55,209 --> 00:06:57,129 But this is, like, a third set of 190 00:06:57,129 --> 00:06:58,350 eyes in the room. 191 00:06:58,810 --> 00:07:00,490 And I kinda think of it as Top 192 00:07:00,490 --> 00:07:02,490 Gun, you know, in the flying scenes when 193 00:07:02,490 --> 00:07:04,329 you see, like, a box over the their 194 00:07:04,329 --> 00:07:06,889 target that they're trying to to look for. 195 00:07:06,889 --> 00:07:08,654 And this is the same kinda thing. 196 00:07:09,055 --> 00:07:10,514 And and the technology 197 00:07:10,894 --> 00:07:13,475 is probably gonna get even better. 198 00:07:13,855 --> 00:07:16,435 But this is especially helpful for patients 199 00:07:16,894 --> 00:07:17,394 who 200 00:07:17,694 --> 00:07:20,334 have polyps that are harder to see. Sometimes 201 00:07:20,334 --> 00:07:23,314 they're flat lesions. Sometimes if there's a residual 202 00:07:23,375 --> 00:07:24,435 stool in the colon, 203 00:07:24,790 --> 00:07:27,509 it's it's a really great opportunity to be 204 00:07:27,509 --> 00:07:29,129 able to highlight these polyps. 205 00:07:29,990 --> 00:07:31,509 And I kind of also think of this 206 00:07:31,509 --> 00:07:33,990 as, like, the iPhone the first version of 207 00:07:33,990 --> 00:07:36,089 the iPhone. So it's a groundbreaking 208 00:07:36,389 --> 00:07:37,529 technology, revolutionary, 209 00:07:38,754 --> 00:07:40,835 but the technology is gonna keep getting better 210 00:07:40,835 --> 00:07:42,615 as we feed it more information. 211 00:07:43,154 --> 00:07:45,095 And especially since there's some competition 212 00:07:45,395 --> 00:07:46,375 in this environment, 213 00:07:46,754 --> 00:07:48,355 I I feel like the technology is gonna 214 00:07:48,355 --> 00:07:50,214 get better and better. Another 215 00:07:50,835 --> 00:07:51,335 amazing, 216 00:07:52,675 --> 00:07:53,154 AI, 217 00:07:53,634 --> 00:07:54,134 created 218 00:07:54,649 --> 00:07:57,069 software that we at the University of Chicago 219 00:07:57,449 --> 00:08:00,089 have been using for the past year is, 220 00:08:00,729 --> 00:08:03,069 a bridge, which is basically ambient 221 00:08:03,449 --> 00:08:03,949 dictation. 222 00:08:04,889 --> 00:08:05,389 So, 223 00:08:06,009 --> 00:08:07,610 there are now apps, and there are a 224 00:08:07,610 --> 00:08:08,990 bunch of different companies 225 00:08:09,785 --> 00:08:12,584 that have, created these apps for doctors to 226 00:08:12,584 --> 00:08:13,084 use. 227 00:08:13,464 --> 00:08:14,125 And, basically, 228 00:08:14,584 --> 00:08:16,204 it uses AI technology 229 00:08:16,504 --> 00:08:17,564 to write notes 230 00:08:17,944 --> 00:08:19,704 as a template. We still go back and 231 00:08:19,704 --> 00:08:20,685 edit the notes 232 00:08:21,464 --> 00:08:21,964 after, 233 00:08:22,425 --> 00:08:23,644 we've seen the patient. 234 00:08:23,944 --> 00:08:24,685 But, basically, 235 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,220 we use the software 236 00:08:27,759 --> 00:08:30,399 to be able to facilitate better conversations with 237 00:08:30,399 --> 00:08:31,060 the patient. 238 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:32,420 So 239 00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:33,940 it will know 240 00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:37,200 whose voice is the patient, whose voice is 241 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:38,799 the patient advocate if they have a family 242 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:40,879 member there, and who's the physician, and if 243 00:08:40,879 --> 00:08:42,065 there's nursing interaction, 244 00:08:42,605 --> 00:08:44,365 it's able to tease all that out. Now 245 00:08:44,365 --> 00:08:45,184 there's several 246 00:08:45,804 --> 00:08:48,285 amazing opportunities when we use the software. First 247 00:08:48,285 --> 00:08:50,605 of all, it just allows for more natural 248 00:08:50,605 --> 00:08:52,225 conversation between the physician 249 00:08:52,605 --> 00:08:53,504 and the patient. 250 00:08:54,129 --> 00:08:55,730 Instead of having our heads buried at the 251 00:08:55,730 --> 00:08:58,470 computer, we're able to to talk with them, 252 00:08:58,929 --> 00:09:00,549 have a more natural conversation. 253 00:09:01,490 --> 00:09:03,730 It also picks up our little small details. 254 00:09:03,730 --> 00:09:05,649 And if we're typing I'm not super fast 255 00:09:05,649 --> 00:09:07,434 typer, but, you know you know, when we're 256 00:09:07,434 --> 00:09:09,674 listening to patients, we're looking for big things 257 00:09:09,674 --> 00:09:11,995 that are, like, super important. But, occasionally, like, 258 00:09:11,995 --> 00:09:13,834 a patient will put you know, mention a 259 00:09:13,834 --> 00:09:14,334 date, 260 00:09:14,954 --> 00:09:17,034 and it'll pick it up more easily. So 261 00:09:17,034 --> 00:09:19,289 it kind of, like, lowers our stress level 262 00:09:19,289 --> 00:09:22,090 when we're seeing patients because we know that 263 00:09:22,090 --> 00:09:23,690 the software is gonna pick up all these 264 00:09:23,690 --> 00:09:25,049 dates, and we don't have to worry about, 265 00:09:25,049 --> 00:09:26,269 like, typing them out. 266 00:09:26,809 --> 00:09:28,110 If there's ever any question, 267 00:09:28,570 --> 00:09:30,889 we can also go back and and look 268 00:09:30,889 --> 00:09:34,090 at the type version of, what the patient 269 00:09:34,090 --> 00:09:36,404 said word word for word. And the the 270 00:09:36,404 --> 00:09:39,704 software kinda summarizes the patient conversation and organizes 271 00:09:39,845 --> 00:09:41,704 it in a really incredible way. 272 00:09:42,004 --> 00:09:44,424 You know, me, like a lot of gastrologists 273 00:09:45,125 --> 00:09:48,370 and physicians naturally, were a little bit hesitant 274 00:09:48,370 --> 00:09:50,850 to use the software initially because we have, 275 00:09:50,850 --> 00:09:52,610 like, you know, we've been trained to write 276 00:09:52,610 --> 00:09:54,790 really good notes. But it is amazing 277 00:09:55,490 --> 00:09:57,410 what the software is able to do. One 278 00:09:57,410 --> 00:09:59,350 of my favorite things is that it summarizes, 279 00:10:00,115 --> 00:10:02,434 everything that we discuss and helps us with 280 00:10:02,434 --> 00:10:05,235 the patient discharge summary with a list of 281 00:10:05,235 --> 00:10:08,115 instructions for the patient to do, any important 282 00:10:08,115 --> 00:10:09,795 phone numbers for them to reach if if 283 00:10:09,795 --> 00:10:12,455 we mentioned it during the the patient visit. 284 00:10:12,990 --> 00:10:14,590 I don't know. Separately from that. So that's 285 00:10:14,590 --> 00:10:17,070 frequently used in clinic, but it's really helpful. 286 00:10:17,070 --> 00:10:18,830 And the reason I mentioned it's in ASC 287 00:10:18,830 --> 00:10:19,730 space is that, 288 00:10:20,830 --> 00:10:22,910 I think that it better prepares patients for 289 00:10:22,910 --> 00:10:25,389 colonoscopies because it picks up on all the 290 00:10:25,389 --> 00:10:27,654 information. You know, if we tell patients to 291 00:10:27,714 --> 00:10:30,195 avoid eating fruits, vegetables, and salads for four 292 00:10:30,195 --> 00:10:32,034 days before the procedure, it'll pick that up 293 00:10:32,034 --> 00:10:33,315 and put that in. So you don't have 294 00:10:33,315 --> 00:10:35,254 to just rely on the patient reading 295 00:10:35,794 --> 00:10:38,434 the patient handout, which is important that we 296 00:10:38,434 --> 00:10:40,360 give patients to prepare, but they can actually 297 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:41,559 see it in their note. They can see 298 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,559 in their patient discharge summary. In addition to 299 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:44,059 that, 300 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:45,899 super exciting invention, 301 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:47,819 is now 302 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,919 there are companies that are developing software where 303 00:10:50,919 --> 00:10:52,699 we can during the middle of a colonoscopy 304 00:10:52,759 --> 00:10:55,100 procedure, an EGD procedure, we can 305 00:10:55,764 --> 00:10:56,664 actually dictate 306 00:10:57,205 --> 00:10:59,065 things that will show up in the report. 307 00:10:59,125 --> 00:11:01,445 There's a company called Endosoft that has this 308 00:11:01,445 --> 00:11:02,264 Argus software. 309 00:11:02,964 --> 00:11:03,464 And, 310 00:11:03,924 --> 00:11:06,024 you know, it's gonna speed up the documentation 311 00:11:06,325 --> 00:11:08,884 for our procedures at both ASCs and in 312 00:11:08,884 --> 00:11:09,544 the hospital. 313 00:11:10,245 --> 00:11:10,745 And 314 00:11:11,740 --> 00:11:13,500 I look forward to, you know, in the 315 00:11:13,500 --> 00:11:15,360 future having this technology 316 00:11:15,899 --> 00:11:17,980 rolled out more on a national level because 317 00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:19,840 I think it's gonna to improve 318 00:11:20,300 --> 00:11:22,540 our day. It's gonna make things a lot 319 00:11:22,540 --> 00:11:23,279 more accurate, 320 00:11:24,059 --> 00:11:26,059 so we don't have to recall everything after 321 00:11:26,059 --> 00:11:26,720 the procedure. 322 00:11:27,584 --> 00:11:30,384 It's in real time. You can describe things, 323 00:11:30,384 --> 00:11:31,284 and it's just 324 00:11:31,824 --> 00:11:33,824 it it's gonna create a situation where you 325 00:11:33,824 --> 00:11:36,084 have much more efficient care 326 00:11:36,544 --> 00:11:37,044 and 327 00:11:37,824 --> 00:11:40,784 accurate information being documented in the note in 328 00:11:40,784 --> 00:11:41,524 real time. 329 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:42,940 Absolutely. 330 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,440 And with 60% of health systems considering ASC 331 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,160 joint ventures and many ASCs already partnering with 332 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:50,379 systems in their communities, 333 00:11:50,759 --> 00:11:53,160 what opportunities do you see for collaboration, whether 334 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,639 with other providers or vendors, to strengthen patient 335 00:11:55,639 --> 00:11:56,940 care and operational efficiency? 336 00:11:58,014 --> 00:12:00,575 Well, I will use our system as, an 337 00:12:00,575 --> 00:12:01,075 example. 338 00:12:01,774 --> 00:12:04,334 I think that anytime you have collaboration, it's 339 00:12:04,334 --> 00:12:06,414 it's a really great idea because you can 340 00:12:06,414 --> 00:12:07,875 pool knowledge and resources, 341 00:12:09,134 --> 00:12:11,455 and hopefully make things more efficient and just 342 00:12:11,455 --> 00:12:12,834 better for patients overall. 343 00:12:13,879 --> 00:12:16,279 So, you know, at the ASC that I 344 00:12:16,279 --> 00:12:17,500 work out on Fridays, 345 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:19,899 you know, it's a lot of 346 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:20,940 physicians 347 00:12:21,399 --> 00:12:23,240 who are doing procedures from the University of 348 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,139 Chicago, but there are also some private practice, 349 00:12:26,759 --> 00:12:29,179 physicians as well that use the center. 350 00:12:29,665 --> 00:12:31,445 And, you know, it's it's 351 00:12:32,065 --> 00:12:32,965 a great opportunity 352 00:12:33,345 --> 00:12:34,404 to have the university 353 00:12:35,024 --> 00:12:37,365 have another space where you can do procedures, 354 00:12:38,384 --> 00:12:41,024 sometimes in a more efficient, manner. But it 355 00:12:41,024 --> 00:12:42,884 also allows universities 356 00:12:43,690 --> 00:12:45,230 to be able to expand 357 00:12:45,690 --> 00:12:49,950 quickly into other demographics and other geographic areas 358 00:12:50,490 --> 00:12:53,050 in whatever city you live in. So for 359 00:12:53,050 --> 00:12:55,450 instance, you know, my my main practice is 360 00:12:55,450 --> 00:12:57,149 in Hyde Park at the University of Chicago, 361 00:12:57,370 --> 00:12:59,875 and I love I love going down there. 362 00:13:00,254 --> 00:13:01,695 But it's super cool to go out to 363 00:13:01,695 --> 00:13:03,695 the suburbs and to see a totally different 364 00:13:03,695 --> 00:13:04,595 patient population. 365 00:13:05,615 --> 00:13:08,095 And it allows the ASCs to really be 366 00:13:08,095 --> 00:13:10,590 able to maximize their efficiency because you have 367 00:13:10,590 --> 00:13:12,990 a pool of doctors that are trying to 368 00:13:12,990 --> 00:13:15,090 do more and more and more procedures, 369 00:13:15,629 --> 00:13:17,170 especially as we expand, 370 00:13:18,350 --> 00:13:20,210 and, you know, any kind of university, 371 00:13:20,990 --> 00:13:22,990 that's in the same kind of position, you 372 00:13:22,990 --> 00:13:23,730 know, nationally. 373 00:13:24,284 --> 00:13:26,605 You know, you're able to to partner with 374 00:13:26,605 --> 00:13:29,565 ASCs and to try to increase the volume 375 00:13:29,565 --> 00:13:31,725 of the number of procedures and also take 376 00:13:31,725 --> 00:13:34,304 care of patients in other geographic areas 377 00:13:34,684 --> 00:13:36,784 and outlying areas or maybe 378 00:13:37,245 --> 00:13:38,945 the other the other huge advantage 379 00:13:39,325 --> 00:13:39,985 is that 380 00:13:41,220 --> 00:13:42,279 when we find 381 00:13:42,820 --> 00:13:43,559 a cancer 382 00:13:43,860 --> 00:13:46,120 or we find some unusual pathology, 383 00:13:46,740 --> 00:13:50,519 it also drives patient care to the main 384 00:13:50,740 --> 00:13:51,240 campus. 385 00:13:51,620 --> 00:13:54,674 And so it allows our colorectal surgeons and 386 00:13:54,674 --> 00:13:56,995 oncologists to have even more patients to be 387 00:13:56,995 --> 00:13:59,815 able to take care of, because we're identifying 388 00:14:00,754 --> 00:14:01,254 cancers. 389 00:14:01,954 --> 00:14:02,454 And, 390 00:14:02,995 --> 00:14:04,995 you know, we're we're identifying things for our 391 00:14:04,995 --> 00:14:07,894 advanced endoscopy team, when we need their help. 392 00:14:08,399 --> 00:14:11,279 And so it's able to increase the number 393 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:13,440 of kind of specialized procedures that are done 394 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,519 on our main campus. And the ASCs, in 395 00:14:15,519 --> 00:14:17,679 turn, really like it because it it really 396 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:19,860 makes sure that their ASCs are full. 397 00:14:20,174 --> 00:14:22,254 And we're doing procedures every day of the 398 00:14:22,254 --> 00:14:24,335 week, and we're maximizing the use of all 399 00:14:24,335 --> 00:14:25,475 their OR rooms. 400 00:14:25,855 --> 00:14:28,274 So it's very beneficial for all parties. 401 00:14:28,815 --> 00:14:29,294 And, 402 00:14:29,695 --> 00:14:30,674 you know, I encourage, 403 00:14:31,294 --> 00:14:33,154 ASCs to look at these partnerships, 404 00:14:34,049 --> 00:14:35,269 and I also encourage 405 00:14:35,730 --> 00:14:38,049 the academic centers to try to wanna partner 406 00:14:38,049 --> 00:14:38,710 with them 407 00:14:39,170 --> 00:14:42,950 because it just provides better care and, hopefully, 408 00:14:43,250 --> 00:14:43,750 expedites 409 00:14:44,450 --> 00:14:46,470 the, the time from clinic, 410 00:14:47,315 --> 00:14:49,495 seeing a patient, whether it's a primary care 411 00:14:50,035 --> 00:14:52,375 doctor ordering direct colonoscopy 412 00:14:52,754 --> 00:14:54,754 or whether they see us in clinic as 413 00:14:54,754 --> 00:14:56,914 a gastroenterologist in clinic. It will expedite the 414 00:14:56,914 --> 00:14:59,414 time from clinic to actually doing their procedure. 415 00:15:00,370 --> 00:15:00,870 Absolutely. 416 00:15:01,730 --> 00:15:03,409 Well, doctor Levy, is there anything we didn't 417 00:15:03,409 --> 00:15:05,009 touch on today or any final thoughts you'd 418 00:15:05,009 --> 00:15:06,289 like to share as we wrap up our 419 00:15:06,289 --> 00:15:06,789 conversation? 420 00:15:07,329 --> 00:15:08,769 Yeah. So I think this is an an 421 00:15:08,769 --> 00:15:11,269 exciting opportunity for growth of ASCs 422 00:15:11,730 --> 00:15:12,949 and growth in gastroenterology 423 00:15:13,250 --> 00:15:13,909 in general. 424 00:15:15,195 --> 00:15:16,014 The other 425 00:15:16,634 --> 00:15:18,075 thing that I wanted to point out this 426 00:15:18,075 --> 00:15:19,214 morning is that, 427 00:15:19,514 --> 00:15:21,514 you know, in order to make things really 428 00:15:21,514 --> 00:15:23,695 efficient and to make sure that the patient 429 00:15:23,754 --> 00:15:25,835 really understands what's going on, I think it's 430 00:15:25,835 --> 00:15:27,855 important for us to slow down in clinic 431 00:15:28,490 --> 00:15:30,809 and make sure that we spend an adequate 432 00:15:30,809 --> 00:15:33,370 amount of time with patients preparing them from 433 00:15:33,370 --> 00:15:36,009 their prep, have the nurses also work with 434 00:15:36,009 --> 00:15:36,669 the patient, 435 00:15:37,289 --> 00:15:38,829 in clinic whenever possible, 436 00:15:39,129 --> 00:15:41,450 have really great handouts that are easy to 437 00:15:41,450 --> 00:15:43,549 understand on all reading levels, 438 00:15:44,004 --> 00:15:46,105 whenever possible, to try to have, 439 00:15:46,725 --> 00:15:48,105 handouts in languages, 440 00:15:48,964 --> 00:15:49,464 that 441 00:15:49,845 --> 00:15:50,345 you're, 442 00:15:51,125 --> 00:15:53,544 frequently encounter in your patient population. 443 00:15:54,725 --> 00:15:57,370 And in addition to that, super helpful thing 444 00:15:57,370 --> 00:15:59,289 that we have incorporated at the University of 445 00:15:59,289 --> 00:16:01,230 Chicago is to have a nursing navigator, 446 00:16:02,090 --> 00:16:03,929 especially for patients who have a history of 447 00:16:03,929 --> 00:16:04,750 poor prep. 448 00:16:05,129 --> 00:16:06,350 I think that the patients 449 00:16:06,970 --> 00:16:07,710 are greatly 450 00:16:08,169 --> 00:16:10,125 benefiting from the service. And, 451 00:16:10,684 --> 00:16:13,245 we we currently work with three amazing nursing 452 00:16:13,245 --> 00:16:15,245 navigators who have all worked in the GI 453 00:16:15,245 --> 00:16:17,485 space. They have a lot of experience, and 454 00:16:17,485 --> 00:16:19,485 we're getting a lot better patient outcomes in 455 00:16:19,485 --> 00:16:20,705 terms of better preps, 456 00:16:21,165 --> 00:16:23,165 because of their assistance and and a lot 457 00:16:23,165 --> 00:16:23,904 fewer cancellations. 458 00:16:24,629 --> 00:16:27,029 So I would encourage everyone to use nursing 459 00:16:27,029 --> 00:16:28,950 navigators as much as possible. They're a great 460 00:16:28,950 --> 00:16:29,450 resource. 461 00:16:30,149 --> 00:16:31,910 Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for joining 462 00:16:31,910 --> 00:16:33,910 me today on the Becker's Healthcare podcast and 463 00:16:33,910 --> 00:16:35,750 sharing these thoughts and insights. Again, we are 464 00:16:35,750 --> 00:16:37,910 recording live at the thirty first annual business 465 00:16:37,910 --> 00:16:39,290 and operations of ASCs.