In these dark days of closed facilities and furloughed/terminated staff, it is easy to get caught up in how unfair, unforeseen, and terribly depressing this situation has been for ambulatory surgery centers and the world.  

A last-minute surgery cancellation can be a costly occurrence. The Association for periOperative Registered Nurses recommends keeping same-day cancellation rates under 2%. This is an exceptionally low rate, but not one that is unachievable. Something as simple as a pre-surgery reminder text can significantly reduce costly cancellations.

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.

When opening an ambulatory surgery center, there's lots of planning involved and many expenditures are required. To get your business started on the right foot, here are a few critical (but common) mistakes that can mean failure for your ASC: