You know that days at an ASC can fly by in a blink. And as ASCs add more surgeries to the OR board to increase revenue, time management becomes even more precious. Here are 7 tried-and-true tactics your ASC needs to improve nursing time management.

Patient surveys are crucial tools for assessing patient satisfaction. And research has shown that 86% of patients find experience surveys valuable. But many facilities have low response rates. What gives? Why aren’t patients filling out the surveys? And how can you improve your ASC’s patient survey response rate?

At ASCs, the majority of your patient volume comes from physician referrals. Thus, keeping strong communication and relationships is vital to keeping your OR volume up. Below, we outline 4 of the best ways to improve your communication with physician offices. 

In the ambulatory surgical setting, nurses are forced to wear a lot of hats. They are not only the nurse, but may be a respiratory therapist, secretary, physician liaison for physician office referrals, educator, physical therapist, housekeeping, infection control, quality coordinator, and any other role necessary to deliver exceptional care to the patient. With limited budget and resources, surgical facilities are still expected to maintain infection control and quality assurance (QA) programs to ensure patients are receiving the safest care. The Joint Commission requires QA programs to cover Infection Control, Performance Improvement efforts, and the Culture of Safety within the ASC. In Texas, the Department of Health (TDH) wants all transfers, emergency department admissions, hospitalizations, and patients returned to surgery to be included in reporting requirements.

Cancellations can wreak havoc at a surgery center. There are often many reasons for cancellations but, when patients self-select out of surgery, it often comes down to one thing: adequate communication. 

Stephen Punzak, MD, founder and CEO of One Medical Passport, spoke to Becker's ASC Review about the shift of more complex surgeries to the outpatient setting and how ASCs can use technology to enhance patient preparation and recovery.

It can be easy to feel like your nursing hours are taken up more and more by patient charting and paperwork. Fortunately, some changes to how you approach patient charting can help. 

Nurses at every level of the care continuum must be leaders. Showing leadership doesn’t only help your department run smoothly, but it also improves communication and patient outcomes. This post explores four strategies every nurse can use to can show leadership qualities—no matter your title.