Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are under increasing pressure to meet hospital-level expectations with fewer resources.
That is a reality that Katie Pierson, regulatory specialist at Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies, knows all too well.
“Regulators, patients and payers want documentation, credentialing, infection control, emergency preparedness – the list goes on,” Pierson recently said. “But you’re expected to deliver all of that with leaner teams.”
During a July 15 webinar hosted by MedTrainer and ASC News, Pierson and MedTrainer Solutions Consultant Chris Seymour outlined how technology can help ASCs meet those expectations, remain survey ready and improve staff morale.
Credentialing delays, paper-based incident reporting, outdated policies and inconsistent onboarding are some of the biggest operational headaches Pierson sees.
“If you’re tracking licenses via email threads or spreadsheets, you’re pretty much one forgotten attachment away from a compliance issue,” she said. “And when your incident reporting process is clunky, staff just stop reporting.”
In a live poll of webinar attendees, credentialing delays emerged as the top ASC pain point. Seymour was not surprised.
“It’s the most directly tied to revenue overall,” he said.
According to Pierson, smarter systems can reduce credentialing time from 14 hours to just 3 hours per provider by automating license verifications, flagging expirations and generating credentialing packets with a click.
But automation does not replace staff, it elevates them, Pierson said.
“When your team is constantly fixing avoidable mistakes, chasing down paperwork or guessing how something should be done, they burn out fast,” she said. “Burnout isn’t always about hours. It’s about how those hours are spent.”
For onboarding, platforms can assign role-specific training before Day 1, reducing the burden on clinical staff and creating a more consistent employee experience.
For incident reporting, mobile tools like QR-code links allow staff to quickly and discreetly log events. One ASC caught a recurring issue before it escalated simply because staff were empowered to report near misses, Pierson said.
For ASCs that have already layered tech onto legacy systems, Pierson cautioned against creating what she called “Frankenstein processes.”
“Start with your outcomes,” she said. “Does the system still meet regulatory standards? Does it actually support your staff? If not, it’s time to sunset.”
Both speakers during the webinar encouraged ASCs to audit their workflows, prioritize high-risk bottlenecks and pilot solutions with a clear problem in mind. Implementation, they said, works best when there is internal buy-in and a willingness to iterate.
“Waiting until everything feels ready usually means it never happens,” Pierson said. “Just launch, go live, then adjust.”
ASCs should resist picking technology based solely on price or promises, Pierson warned.
“Don’t fall in love with the salesperson,” she said. “Focus on whether the solution actually solves your problem.”
Seymour added that automation, not just digitization, is the real game changer. “Any tool that requires as much investment as your current process isn’t helping,” he said. “Look for ways to automate, not just add clicks.”
Both stressed the importance of shopping around, demoing with purpose and learning from peers.
“The ASC world is tight knit,” Pierson said. “Join your state association, ask others what’s working for them, and always start by identifying your pain point first.”
