orm_asc_october-2024 - 14

STAFFING
BY TARSILLA MOURA
ASC management is a skill: A day in the administrator role
T
he administrator of an ambulatory
surgery center (ASC) wears many
hats, doing every odd job in the
book to keep their free-standing center
safe, compliant, and operational. But
what does " wearing many hats " mean
exactly?
OR Manager spoke
with Nyleen Flores,
CPMSM, CPCS, CPCO,
CASC, chief administrative
officer at Lake
Oconee Orthopedics,
LLC in Greensboro,
Georgia, to get to the
bottom of the complex
role of an ASC administrator.
The
attitude the
administrator
brings to the
ASC will be the
attitude reflected
throughout it.
Nyleen Flores,
CPMSM,
CPCS, CPCO,
CASC
" Putting it simply, I would break the
ASC administrator role into four categories:
event planning, event coordination,
compliance assurance, and problem
solving, " Flores says. On a typical
day, she explains, the admin will cycle
through different tasks that fall under
those categories. It might go something
like this:
* Event planning-conducting a thorough
business review is critical for
strategy and planning, Flores says.
" Are we meeting our numbers? Do
we have our quota for the day? Were
there any cancellations, or any issues
with reps? How many implants
are we using daily? "
* Event coordination-the ASC administrator
has to make sure all the
events that were supposed to happen
that day actually happen. " An
event could be a departmental meeting,
an HR situation, a regulatory
mandated check, or even a surgical
procedure, " Flores says. " Whatever
is on the docket that was meant to
occur has to occur. "
* Compliance assurance-rounding
with the team is " extremely important, "
she says. " A round means
checking in with your scheduler, the
front desk, your clinical director, and
taking a pulse on the day. " The goal,
14
ASC Leader | October 2024
she adds, is to get ahead of any issues
that may arise and ensure the
team is equipped to address them.
That type of preparation, however, is
only successful when all team members
are feeling secure with their
training, up-to-date with their certifications,
and in tune with each other.
* Problem solving-the ASC administrator
needs to be comfortable
with interruptions, Flores stresses.
" Something always comes up. Physicians
will need something done, bills
will need to be paid, a staff conflict
will need to be reconciled, and it
goes on, " she says, adding that the
key is making sure everyone is on
target and they are doing what they
are supposed to be doing.
Documentation is also critical. The
administrator's role involves a lot of
oversight, she says, and for that, the
paper trail needs to be solid. " As the
administrator, we may not be the one
actually running the drill, but we're the
one making sure the drill is being done
in a timely manner and it's reported
appropriately by whoever we have assigned
to that task. "
Sound familiar? It should be. What
Flores is describing is the makeup of a
traditional C-suite team in the hospital
setting. " That doesn't exist in an ASC.
The administrator is the CEO, CFO, and
COO of their center, " she says.
Changing profiles
Non-nursing roles have begun rising
through the ranks in greater numbers.
Some have joined the ranks of the top
decision-making voices inside an ASC
alongside veteran nurse leaders-who
traditionally held the ASC administrator
position until COVID-19 fundamentally
changed healthcare operations. " An
ASC administrator doesn't have to be
a nurse. That job-my job-is not clinical, "
Flores says. " An ASC administrator
is not there to be in the OR. "
Flores herself is not a nurse. She
makes the case that just like nurse
leadership can learn the business side
of running an ASC and become an effective
administrator, a business manager
can come to understand the clinical
demands and become an effective advocate
for the clinical staff. " I spent 12
years running an office after I helped a
nephrologist open his practice, then I
got into medical staff services management
and learned how an entire hospital
runs, " she says, crediting that administrative
experience for her success today.
Her experience spans various aspects
of healthcare management, which
equipped her with a comprehensive
understanding of both the clinical and
business sides of healthcare. " Learning
the hospital makeup and governing
rules made all the difference because it
helped me understand what they [clinical
staff] do. "
And knowing what every role in the
ASC does is important, she stresses.
As both planner and coordinator, the
ASC administrator must know enough
to determine what kind of people to
surround themselves with to successfully
run the center. " We're in charge
of development, of leadership, and of
defining roles. The growth of your center
depends on you, and you depend on
your people, " she says.
Combating stigma
Was running an ASC without nursing
credentials challenging? Flores answers
yes, but not for the reasons she expected.
It wasn't the lack of clinical
experience that made things difficult
for her in the beginning. " Historically,
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