The Ambulatory Surgery Center industry is seeing unprecedented growth in 2020. According to the 2019 Ambulatory Surgery Center Market Report, the ASC market is expected to set an all-time record and surpass $40 billion in revenue in 2020 and is projected to hit $50 billion by 2025.

In 2018, nearly 22 million surgeries were performed in the United States with more than half being of the outpatient variety and experts predict this number to increase by roughly 15 percent by 2028. In recent years, more than half of outpatient procedures have been administered in ASCs. As healthcare costs continue to increase steadily, these statistics are expected to trend upwards in 2020 and beyond.

But why the unmistakable draw to ambulatory surgery centers in 2020? The reasons are many and certainly differ depending on each patient’s circumstances, but there are several key benefits that cement the role ASCs play in the healthcare industry.

As more and more patients seek out ambulatory surgery centers over hospital settings for outpatient procedures, ASCs are faced with the constant challenge of scheduling more and more appointments. And unfortunately, with higher traffic numbers, scheduling aspects can (and do) fall through the cracks. Investing in a quality ambulatory surgery center software program can help ASCs a great deal on this front. But before we get into fixing problems, it’s important to recognize how mistakes are made in the first place. Below are some of the most common issues ASCs face that lead to mistakes in scheduling.

More and more, hospital systems and private entities are exploring ventures into the ASC market. Here’s what you can do to successfully navigate and flourish under an ownership change.

As we previously discussed, accreditation guidelines are there to help your ASC improve quality, safety, and efficiency. However, staying on top of certifications can be time-consuming. Some specific digital solutions can help.

Accreditation guidelines aim to help your ASC run more efficiently. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) are there to help you improve the quality of care and patient safety. But staying on top of these accreditations can be a lot of work. Fortunately, some specific strategies can help you streamline.

Anyone reading this has been hired to do a job, has hired others, or both. It is soooo expensive to find the right person, with the right skills, and the right fit for the position and your company culture. If you are the person hiring someone, typically all you have available to you is his or her resume for screening. Then after you identify half a dozen (if you are lucky) you have the process of screening them via a phone interview and then an on-site interview. Tedious, time consuming, and expensive! And...if you are the person looking to be hired, it is sometimes the roll of the dice if you will get the attention of the hiring manager.

Starting IVs is a crucial part of being an excellent ambulatory care nurse. While painless IV cannulations can be a challenging skill to master, they are vital to your patient’s recovery. Here’s our 5 steps to starting an IV for new nurses (or nurses who need a refresher):