Administrative aspects of ambulatory surgery

Abstract

“Administration” of an ambulatory surgery center is an amalgamation of ownership and management responsibilities, which are an integration of both the clinical and business aspects of running an ambulatory surgery center. Effective, efficient, and profitable management of an ambulatory surgery center is a challenging task that rests on the shoulders of the administrative team. The late Peter Drucker, the “father of modern corporate management,” is quoted as saying nearly half a century ago, “there is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer.”1 He believed in an empowerment of people as an organization’s most valuable business management strategy. In his 1950 book, The Practice of Management, he posed three seminal questions that should be asked by every manager: “what is our business, who is our customer, and what does our customer consider valuable?” This is the type of thinking that has spurred the development of ambulatory surgery centers. As one sets forth to establish an administrative framework for an ambulatory surgery center, it is important to realize that while structure is important, the key to success is an understanding that the physicians are the primary customers of any ambulatory surgery center, as well as an innate understanding of what motivates employees and retains patients. Effective management requires vision, sacrifice, integrity, and emotional intelligence. It is important that we not become “caught up” in the complicated and complex issues of daily management of a busy ambulatory surgery center and lose sight of these basic core concepts.