Communication and cross training staff were part of John Brady's strategy to help unite staff after a merger.
Mr. Brady, CEO of Fox Valley Orthopedic Institute, joined the "Becker's Spine and Orthopedic Podcast" to discuss how he approached challenges following a recent merger.
Note: This is an edited excerpt. Listen to the full conversation here.
Question: What are the most pressing challenges to maintaining a positive patient experience?
John Brady: I think it's going to grow even more than [16%]. ASCs like most things in healthcare, need to really focus on patient access. When the patient wants it and can get it is a really important thing. Nothing is going to drive that patient experience better than being able to get the procedure within a time frame that you work on with them. We work very hard on that to make sure that we can get patients in. We set the appropriate expectations for timing. We make sure that we're communicating that, and we make sure that our clinic staff are aligned with what's going on in our ASC so they're not over-promising and causing us to under deliver. We make sure that we have a really solid line of communication there.
Q: What's one recommendation you have for healthcare leaders to stay ahead?
JB: A couple years ago two practices merged right before I started and [with] two very different cultures. The legacy Fox Valley group had the surgery center. The group that merged in did not have a surgery center. They did all their things at different centers around the area, so understanding workflows and processes … was a challenge. We've made some very direct efforts by creating one EMR that also is connected to the scheduling for the ASC and working very closely to make sure that we're cross training staff. So legacy South FBO staff are going up to the north offices where we merged and vice versa. People are seeing how all those things work. It really helps because it's allowing us to understand the nuances of scheduling for the different patients we have and the different physicians. It's working out really well, and we're seeing great efficiencies being achieved out of it which has led to, in no small part, a lot of our growth.