Specialty Orthopaedics Surgery Center (SOSC)

The center had maxed out its ability to handle the case volume on paper, and had plans to double the size of the ASC from two to four ORs. This led SOSC to consider moving to an electronic health record (EHR). Although the center felt that when it comes to EHR, people have a fear of change and think it is less risky to do nothing. But, not implementing an EHR was far riskier because it would keep them from growing at the pace they had planned. 

As a current user of an ASC management system from Surgical Information Systems (SIS), SOSC evaluated and selected the SIS Charts™ cloud-based electronic clinical documentation solution, which integrated with the management system. A year later, the ASC decided to move to SIS Complete™, SIS’ comprehensive, cloud-based technology solution on a single platform.

SIS Complete provides all the components needed for ASCs to run efficiently and cost-effectively, while delivering quality outcomes.

“SIS Complete gives us an ‘ASC-in-a-box’ from a technology perspective, all from one vendor partner,” said Elizabeth Conto, SOSC’s business office manager. “We want to do what is right and best for our patients. SIS Complete helps us to accomplish those goals.”

On the clinical side, SOSC has improved several paper-based processes by switching to SIS Charts, saving money and gaining efficiencies as a result. The ASC has greatly reduced the costs associated with storage and retrieval of paper records and enjoys the ability for multiple people to document on a single chart concurrently.

“We are able to work more efficiently because we aren’t shuffling clipboards among staff anymore,” said Conto. “Now, multiple people can do different jobs within the same chart at the same time. Also, by eliminating most of the paper and changing our processes, we freed up a lot of storage space in the preop area.”

SIS Charts includes a mobile component that improves access to information for SOSC’s physicians, some of whom practice about 15 miles from the ASC. “Let’s say there is an after-hours request from the physician to add on a surgery, the cloud-based system can be accessed off-site,” said Michelle Sloan, the ASC’s director of nursing. “In the past, if we were closed, nobody could access that surgery information. Now, the doctor can log onto the physician desktop and pull up the patient’s chart. There are definitely advantages to being able to access that information anywhere, anytime.”

Thanks to the ASC management side of SIS Complete, SOSC leaders say the scheduling process has improved over the previous system due, in part, to the ability to easily adjust the schedule. “We have some physicians and anesthesia providers who want certain cases first. Sometimes a patient makes a special request, or there is an issue with a piece equipment. There are a lot of moving parts and pieces,” Sloan explained, noting the challenges of scheduling in a complex surgical environment. “The schedule in SIS Office is very simple to move around to accommodate these needs, which is a huge time saver.”

Another time saver, and a boost to OR efficiency, is the ability for schedulers in the physician clinics to use SIS Link to view a personalized version of the ASC schedule and request cases during their available block times. “The clinic staff say the ability to submit online case requests has improved their workflow,” Conto said. “It is convenient for them to find a place to put a patient on the schedule. They can see in real time what their actual case load looks like for any given day and then fill in the holes to maximize the block time they have.”

While SOSC uses SIS Revenue Cycle Services to manage all aspects of the ASC’s billing. Conto, as the business office manager, remains very engaged with the billing process. She said she uses the trackers in SIS Office to follow the workflow from insurance verification through collections. “I can use the ‘Cases to Code’ tracker, for example, to see that cases are being completed and coded in a timely manner,” Conto said. “That follows all the way through the revenue cycle process.”

The implementation of SIS Complete has paid off for SOSC in many ways, including leveraging its electronic charts to facilitate a recent joint state and Medicare survey. “I showed the surveyor how to drive SIS Complete. After a five-minute demo, she took the reins and was able to get everything she needed for the chart audit,” Conto said. “That obviously speaks to the ease of use. She was very complimentary of the chart and documentation.”