--- title: 10 Habits of Highly Effective Surgery Center Administrators description: Being an ASC administrator is no simple task. Here are the 10 habits that all successful center administrators possess. image: https://blog.simplifyasc.com/hubfs/business-4051773_1280.jpeg --- [Back to Blog](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/) http://www.simplifyasc.com Simplify ASC ![](https://simplifyasc.com/wp-content/themes/simplify/img/favicon/favicon-32x32.png) Jul 15, 2021 7:44:10 PM # 10 Habits of Highly Effective Surgery Center Administrators ![10 Habits of Highly Effective Surgery Center Administrators](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/hubfs/business-4051773_1280.jpeg) Educational / Industry - [ASC Operations](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-operations) - BY: [DeeDee Dalke, CPC, CPPM, LMT, NCBTMB](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/author/deedee-dalke) - Apr 18, 2019 --- Congratulations! You’ve just begun working as a surgery center administrator. You worked hard to get to this day. The right offer came along, and you’re ready to expand your skills and take on a new challenge. Now what? Your new role will require some new habits and to sustain a few of the existing ones. With apologies to the late Stephen Covey’s widely celebrated [7 Habits](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/habits-of-highly-effective-people-summary) management book, here’s our guide to the 10 habits of highly effective surgery center administrators. #### 1. Read Appendix L from cover to cover Even if you’re not a CMS-certified center, the regulations inside [Appendix L](https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/som107ap_l_ambulatory.pdf) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services State Operations Manual,* "Guide for Surveyors: Ambulatory Surgery Centers",  *has valuable guidelines to help you understand the nature and scope of your job. There are likely state and accreditation guidelines you should also be familiar with, such as Joint Commission and [Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care](https://www.aaahc.org/). In addition to Appendix L, download the Appendix Z regulation set as well. Both of these are also available via ASCA’s [website](https://www.ascassociation.org/home). Download these, print them out, and get to know them thoroughly. #### 2. Understand the Benefits of Accreditation, and Pursue Them Whether it’s Joint Commission, an Advanced Orthopedic Certification from the AAAHC, ASC Joint Replacement certification, or one of the many others, it’s your best leverage in negotiating payer contracts and elevates your center from other options available to patients. #### 3. Realize That Scheduling Requires Continuous Improvement Speed is [everything in an ASC](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/convert-your-paper-forms-into-digital-patient-charts). Getting as many patients through the door as safely and effectively as possible requires a certain level of wizardry when it comes to effective scheduling. It touches all aspects of center operations, and requires constant review to optimize resources and minimize downtime. To maintain this posture of constant scheduling improvement, effective administrators abandon the Excel spreadsheet and instead embrace [technology](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/5-best-practices-for-improving-asc-scheduling) to automate and smooth all aspects of the scheduling function: block scheduling, customized reporting, scheduler communication, and more. #### 4. Monitor Supply Chain Like a Hawk The [average](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/find-sanity-by-optimizing-asc-inventory-management) ASC racks up [$1.5 million](https://www.beckersasc.com/benchmarking/56-asc-benchmarks-to-know-on-regional-operating-expenses-per-case.html) annually in operating expenses. Of that, $464,000 is spent on drugs and medical supplies. Just as they remain vigilant with optimized scheduling, effective administrators use every tool at their disposal to keep supply chain expenses in check. Inventory management software enables real-time tracking of every single item, generates analytics such as **tier optimization**; and supplies much-needed visibility into the process. #### 5. Know What You Don’t Know There’s so much to learn and so much to monitor as an ASC administrator. You can’t figure it out all at once. Admit what you don’t know, and get the clarity you need to determine: - What you need to learn right away - What can be delegated to others to learn - What can be set aside for later exploration The [Eisenhower](https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/) decision making matrix is especially helpful here. The general and two-term US President developed the Urgent-Important Matrix to prioritize tasks and gain control over the day. #### 6. Have a Sense of Direction “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way,” wrote the poet Carl Sandburg. Though it’s tempting to simply respond to the latest crisis or opportunity, successful leaders always have a destination in mind, and lead towards it. Sounds obvious, right? The reality is often difficult — especially when the breakneck pace of a surgery center makes it easy to be distracted by competing priorities. Don’t execute against anyone else’s plan; [clearly plot](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/how-data-analytics-impacts-asc-management) how you want to achieve your results, and learn how to motivate and engage your team to get there. #### 7. Elevate Meeting Management to An Art Form Meetings can be the [bane of any administrator’s existence](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/stemming-the-tide-of-physician-burnout), yet running a meeting with skill is the ultimate internal benchmark for management success. Whether it’s a short staff meeting or comprehensive board retreat, develop your agenda, stay on topic and respect everyone’s schedule by beginning and ending the meeting on time. One tactic an experienced administrator uses is to pause the meeting with 10 minutes left on the schedule. He asks attendees if they are confident the meeting will end on time with all issues addressed. If not, he polls again to determine if all are willing to exceed the allotted time, or if another meeting needs to be scheduled to finalize the matters at hand. #### 8. Put Staff First Despite being a big part of the **Certified Administrator Surgery Center** [(CASC)](https://aboutcasc.org/employee-retention-in-ascs-keeping-the-staff-you-want-and-need/2/) exam, most administrators have had little or no formal training with employee management. While competitive salary and benefits are a big part of building a strong team, building a culture of trust and respect is critical for any administrator’s success. Treat employees fairly and never miss an opportunity to show how much you value their contributions. #### 9. ABR - Always Be Recruiting No matter how positive of a work environment you establish, staff turnover is a harsh reality at ASCs, where nursing and support staff have lots of options when it comes to where they want to work. Partner with a reliable recruiter, and make sure your job placement ads are reaching the right people. For recruiting surgeons, LinkedIn and surgery-related publications might make the most sense; for nurses and other staffing jobs, Indeed, and even Craigslist have proven effective for recruitment. #### 10. Trust Yourself This is not going to be an overnight process. Becoming a successful ASC administrator takes a willingness to learn, an ever-constant push to refine and improve processes, and a readiness to celebrate victory as well as admit failure. Remain patient with your own limitations — you’ll be an expert in no time! --- You have what it takes to be a dynamite administrator, but you can’t do it all by yourself. That’s where we come in. Simplify ASC is the only [ASC management system](https://simplifyasc.com/platform/) designed specifically for ASCs. It gives you the support you need to successfully manage the entire perioperative continuum—from scheduling to quality reporting—and is backed by 24/7, you-centered [customer support](https://resources.simplifyasc.com/support). **Learn what it’s like to love the way you work.** [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5258430/c1de1aaf-7cb9-4188-97d8-b75bd7a2c5e6.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5258430/c1de1aaf-7cb9-4188-97d8-b75bd7a2c5e6) By ![DeeDee Dalke, CPC, CPPM, LMT, NCBTMB](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/hubfs/DeeDee%202Headshot.jpg) DeeDee Dalke, CPC, CPPM, LMT, NCBTMB Revenue Operations Manager Share [![Share on linkedin](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/hubfs/linkedin-icon.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.simplifyasc.com/10-habits-of-highly-effective-surgery-center-administrators&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [![Share on facebook](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/hubfs/facebook-icon.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.simplifyasc.com/10-habits-of-highly-effective-surgery-center-administrators&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) [![Share on twitter](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/hubfs/twitter-icon.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://blog.simplifyasc.com/10-habits-of-highly-effective-surgery-center-administrators&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&url=https://blog.simplifyasc.com/10-habits-of-highly-effective-surgery-center-administrators&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) --- [Back to Blog](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/) Twitter Feed [Tweets by SimplifyASC](https://twitter.com/SimplifyASC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Related Posts - Educational / Industry [5 Insider Tips to Buying the Best Software for Your ASC](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/5-insider-tips-to-buying-the-best-software-for-your-asc) [EMR Software](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/emr-software), [ASC Software](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-software), [Instructional](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/instructional), [Thought Leadership](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/thought-leadership), [Practice Management Systems](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/practice-management-systems), [ASC Technology](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-technology), [ASC Operations](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-operations), [Nursing Leadership](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/nursing-leadership), [ASC Reporting](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-reporting) Jan 12, 2022 One of the most important decisions you will make on behalf of your surgery center is deciding which software to implement in order to improve your business. To many folks, just the thought of implementing software beckons an onse \[...\] [Read](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/5-insider-tips-to-buying-the-best-software-for-your-asc) - Educational / Industry [What You Need to Know: CMS Final Rule Released](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/cms-final-rule-released-november-2-2021-what-you-need-to-know) [Instructional](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/instructional), [Thought Leadership](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/thought-leadership), [Patient Safety](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/patient-safety), [ASC Regulations](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-regulations), [ASC Operations](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-operations), [Nursing Leadership](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/nursing-leadership) Nov 18, 2021 This year’s final rule has more changes than usual and all areas of healthcare have been impacted. The ASC changes are listed below along with links for more information. [Read](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/cms-final-rule-released-november-2-2021-what-you-need-to-know) - Educational / Industry [6 Ways to Reduce Employee Turnover in Your ASC](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/6-ways-to-reduce-employee-turnover-in-your-asc) [Thought Leadership](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/thought-leadership), [ASC Operations](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-operations), [Nursing Leadership](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/nursing-leadership), [ASC Work/Life Balance](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/tag/asc-work-life-balance) Sep 20, 2021 Good help is hard to find. In case you hadn’t heard, we are in the midst of what has been coined the Great Resignation. Large numbers of potential employees are in the process of re-evaluating their careers and the amount of time \[...\] [Read](https://blog.simplifyasc.com/6-ways-to-reduce-employee-turnover-in-your-asc) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "USA", "addressLocality" : "Brentwood", "addressRegion" : "TN", "postalCode" : "37027", "streetAddress" : "100 Westwood Place, Suite 120, " }, "alternateName" : "Simplify ASC", "areaServed" : { "@type" : "GeoCircle", "geoMidpoint" : { "@type" : "GeoCoordinates", "latitude" : "36.0338472", "longitude" : "-86.7986264" }, "geoRadius" : "150 m" }, "description" : "Simplify ASC is the only ASC management platform designed from the ground up to work just the way you do.", "email" : "", "image" : "https://simplifyasc.com/wp-content/themes/simplify/img/favicon/mstile-310x310.png", "logo" : "", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.simplifyasc.com/10-habits-of-highly-effective-surgery-center-administrators", "@type" : "WebPage", "description" : "Being an ASC administrator is no simple task. 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