Calisher & Associates - Improving the quality of healthcare
A concern for many throughout the United States is the cost and quality of healthcare. For Calisher & Associates, helping healthcare facilities provide the best healthcare options at a reasonable cost for consumers is key to maintaining their reputation of excellence. In the same way, many healthcare facilities seeking to make a profit may have lost vision of the patient experience and could benefit from consulting with a company such as C&A in order to improve the upon any inefficiencies and better solidify their place in the market.
Improving the quality of care while maintaining a profit and adhering to state and federal regulations are all key aspects of finding a balance between maintaining excellence while seeing growth and prosperity in your company. Healthcare is an industry that revolves around very personal choices and consumers are now inundated with options. Current trends have helped to push quality higher as facilities work to impress new patients and maintain their current client base.
Calisher & Associates focuses on streamlining processes and can help in almost any area of business for a healthcare facility to optimize their strengths and overcome weaknesses. C&A works with facilities through each stage of the process and is able to jump in at any point to bring a current project or operating business back on the right track. Improving the planning processes and maintaining high standards in management trickles down to employees and patients in the healthcare field as well, improving the overall quality of care at a consistently affordable cost.
Calisher & Associates - Loyalty and your career
Kevin Calisher has been in the healthcare industry for over 17 years. Having worked for Calisher & Associates since he began his career in 1998, he knew that staying with the company would pay off, and it has. Starting as a project manager, Calisher spent many years devoting his time and talent to the company and an industry he loved. Making his way up the corporate ladder, Calisher is now President of the company and knows the minute details of each process and structure due to the time he spent at each level of his career investing himself in his work.
Although many used to have this type of loyalty in a career, it is increasingly less common to see tenure of this length with one particular company, or even industry! Many people move laterally to positions seeking a change or various accommodations and wonder why their careers may not have progressed as much as they would like. Maintaining loyalty with a company and spending years growing with a particular firm can lead to great career potential. As long as your current workplace sees the value of your work and you can see an avenue for growth in the future, there really is no reason to jump ship in hopes for bigger and better things in the short term.
Companies such as Calisher & Associates are built on the idea of caring about people. This is true for their employees, clients, and the patients in which their clients serve. Taking care of the people that makes a company great affects business in every aspect and can lead to the type of advancement many hope for in their company and their careers.
Calisher & Associates - Revenue Cycle Management
Calisher & Associates provide a variety of support functions for the healthcare community in order to help your health care facility thrive. Among the variety of diverse products they offer to customers includes the option of ambulatory surgery center revenue cycle management. They take a thorough investigation into your processes and identify keys areas for improvement to speed up your cash collection efforts. Cash flow problems are often the Achilles heel for many health care companies as operations become halted due to an insufficient revenue stream.
Calisher & Associates have proven industry tactics that they employ to alleviate your business from burdens in the revenue cycle. They have developed relationships with many insurance companies during their decades’ worth of work in the medical industry. They utilize these relationships to offer their clients the flexibility to pursue other areas of their business. From the first step of registering and scheduling Calisher & Associates the main goal is to maximize all revenues and expedite the rate of cash collection. A key aspect of this process is looking at historical and analytical data on prior performance and developing a strategy that would improve performance.
If your business or health care company is suffering due to a lack of knowledge or experience dealing with the proper way to handle the revenue cycle. The health care professionals at Calisher & Associates can help you take your business to the next level and get rid of any cash flow issues that may be hindering your productivity.
Calisher & Associates - Ambulatory Surgical Centers – Making healthcare work for you
The option of ambulatory surgical centers has made waves in the healthcare industry. With healthcare becoming more personalized, companies like Calisher & Associates have made it their mission to create the best in healthcare options for their clients to pass on to patients. Calisher works on the development and implementation of healthcare facilities and projects in almost any area of outpatient care and knows the importance of providing unique options for varying lifestyles and patient needs.
Ambulatory surgical centers have created a new way for patients to receive the care they need when having less invasive procedures that allow shorter recovery times, and the ability to return home without hospital stays. These short visits can often allow patients to have the procedures they need sooner than they may have otherwise since they will be able to return home to their families and daily routines sooner than ever before.
Prior to the 1970’s nearly all medical procedures were performed in hospitals. With a growing concern for space in hospitals, equipment availability, scheduling, and operating room turnover delays many physicians began looking for other ways to care for patients who did not require post-operative overnight monitoring and care.
The solution of ambulatory surgical centers has opened the door for facilities to specialize in procedures and offer the best in healthcare for their patients in a way that works for their schedules. Calisher & Associates helps to best equip these facilities to meet the growing expectations of patients who are now presented with an ever growing number of options for their healthcare needs.
Calisher & Associates - Helping Ambulatory Healthcare Facilities Through the Medicare Certification Process
Any ambulatory healthcare facility in the early stages of development should have Medicare Certification at the top of their to do list. The process of obtaining certification can be a lengthy one and ample time must be allotted to ensure completion. Calisher & Associates has helped countless facilities though the certification process and offers the following advice for facilities seeking Medicare certification.
Obtaining a National Provider Identifier (NPI) through the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) is the first task in Medicare certification. This step can be expedited by going through the online system at NPPES.
Medicare enrollment through the state channel is the next step. Online enrollment can be completed through the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System or by filling out paper form 855b and filing it with the Medicare Administrative Contractor for your state. Enrollment with the state needs to be reevaluated every five years.
Conditions for Coverage (CFCs) is the next condition for certification. This requirement pertains to all aspects of an ASC including operations, facility design and patient services. ASCs also have two additional requirements that are needed for certification that include the Survey Procedures and Interpretive Guidelines for Life Safety Code Surveys and the Guidelines for Determining Immediate Jeopardy.
In addition to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the following private entities are also able to determine if an ASC has achieved compliance with all CFCs: The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Health Care Facilities Accrediting Program and the Joint Commission and the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc.
Calisher & Associates - The Upside of Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopic Surgery offers many advantages over traditional surgery and with Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) increasing in numbers throughout the country, this type of surgery has become a more widely available option for those needing general surgery. Calisher & Associates has been on the forefront of developing and managing ASCs for almost three decades, helping to bring a wider array laparoscopic surgery options to patients.
Laparoscopic surgery is often referred to as minimally invasive surgery as the incision sizes for this type of surgery are tiny in size compared to traditional surgery. In a laparoscopic surgery, a long flexible tube which is attached to a video camera (a Laparoscope) is inserted into the body through a small incision. The surgeon can then guide the camera to the area where treatment is needed. The image is enlarged on a screen to give the surgeon an even larger and better view, enabling better decision making as the surgery progresses.
Laparoscopic surgery offers many benefits to patients including reduced pain after a surgery, smaller and less visible surgical scars, significantly shorter hospital stays, less risk of infection, reduced risk of bleeding due to smaller incisions and a more rapid return to normal activity.
While to cost of a laparoscopic surgery is high, the reduced hospital stays, along with the shorter recovery time for the patient translates into a lower overall cost. One study in Florida that included more than 40,000 patients who had outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy, determined that this type of surgery was performed at ASCs at a much lower cost than those performed in a hospital.
Calisher & Associates - Facts about the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) Credential
Classier & Associates has been serving the healthcare industry for more than 25 years and has been involved with the development of over 200 Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) throughout the country. In 2010, President and COO Kevin Calisher received his Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) credential. Those receiving this esteemed accreditation must be well versed in the many complex nuances that administration and management of an ASC entails.
Only 650 people nationwide hold the CASC credential. Those who have received this credential claim that working to earn the title is well worth it as it elevates their knowledge in the field to levels that are well respected by colleagues. Those with the CASC title demonstrate to colleagues their commitment and understanding of the unique challenges and knowledge needed to work in the field.
According to a 2012 Salary and Benefits survey by the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, those who have earned the title of CASC earn an average of $17,000 per year more than those in the field with similar backgrounds and experience.
Kevin Calisher began his career in the healthcare field in 1998 when he became a project manager for the family business, Calisher & Associates. While working his way up the ladder at the company to the President and COO position he currently holds, Calisher gained valuable experience in the field learning the complexities of managing an ASC. Receiving his CASC credential in 2010 cemented his expertise and deep knowledge of the many complexities involved in the management and administration of surgery centers.
Calisher & Associates - Brief History of Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Calisher & Associates has been on the forefront of developing Ambulatory Surgery Centers for over 25 years. Throughout that time, ASCs have become a major improvement in the medical field, offering options to patients who need outpatient surgeries.
The first ASC came to fruition in 1970 in Phoenix, AZ. Two surgeons who had experienced the often times discouraging obstacles in getting surgeries set up in a timely manner in hospitals decided to put the idea of a standalone surgery center to the test. Their surgery center proved to alleviate long wait times for surgeries and also paved to road to a more efficient way treat patients.
ASCs also proved to offer doctors more control over their practices, as they were able to obtain new equipment without the loopholes of the hospital administration. Today, doctors have at least some ownership in over 90% of ASC’s in the country.
Currently, there are more than 5400 ASCs in the United States, offering both patients and doctors an alternative to surgery in a hospital setting that is often costlier and less convenient than an ASC. Improvements to ASCs over the years have made them an even more valuable asset to the health care system; even as the cost of health care continues to rise, ASCs have been proven to provide virtually the same surgeries for significantly lower co-pays than hospitals.
In the past 25 years, Calisher & Associates has been involved in developing more than 200 ASCs throughout the United States. Since 2006, the company began their Medical Practice Management Division, offering in depth services for daily operations and administration at client surgery centers.
Calisher & Associates - Creating a Business Plan
The Medical Practice Management Division of Calisher & Associates, Inc. is often involved in helping new practices create a business plan that sees them enter profitability at the earliest stage possible. There are a number of tips that can help with this, including all of the following.
Attention to Detail
Your business plan needs to be concise, but this doesn’t mean that you should gloss over any areas. Be sure to include as much detail as you feel is needed for each section, in addition to checking for spelling issues, looking at your numbers in more detail and generally ensuring a professional air is carried throughout the course of the document.
Budgeting
You need to show that you are aware of every cost the business is likely to face, in addition to the various revenue streams that it can attract. Demonstrate all of these numbers in the plan, backed up by detailed and accurate research. If you fail to incorporate important costs into the plan, you’re going to find that you struggle from the off.
Be Realistic
Starting a new business of any kind is an exciting time, but you should not get carried away with your optimism. Stay realistic with all projections, showing that you have considered the competition and audience for the service you provide. Be sure to back up any claims that you make with related evidence and always aim to remain conservative in your estimates.
Set Milestones
Calisher & Associates, Inc. finds that setting clear and defined milestones can help a business by offering it a goal to aim towards. Ensure that they are realistic, achievable and based on the information you have gathered during the course of your research.
Calisher & Associates, Inc. - Tips for Improving Self-Confidence
Kevin Calisher, who is currently the President and COO of Calisher & Associates, Inc., recognizes that self-confidence is exceptionally important in various aspects of the company’s business. It allows for clients to feel more comfortable in the fact that your team knows what they are doing, in addition to lending you an edge during negotiations. The following tips should help you to up your confidence levels.
Improve Your Knowledge
If somebody knows a lot about a subject, they will naturally feel more confident in speaking about it. Thus, the first step to improving your self-confidence, especially when it relates to a particular subject area, is to educate yourself as thoroughly as possible.
Think Positive
If you approach issues with a negative mindset, you will often find that you simply bemoan the problem rather than actively looking to solve it. This goes for your self-confidence as well. If you constantly look at yourself in a negative light, it becomes that much more difficult to see your own positive aspects, in addition to making it harder to improve yourself.
Be Kind
Your interactions with other people will often shape the confidence that you have in yourself. By treating people well, you will find that their opinion of you continues to improve. This will also make them more willing to demonstrate the confidence that they have in you, which can improve your confidence in yourself accordingly.
Relax
Kevin Calisher always makes it a point to relax and do the things that he enjoys when he is not working at Calisher & Associates, Inc. While it is important to love what you do, taking time away to relax and be exactly who you are allows you to gain a superior sense of self that works wonders for your self-esteem.
Calisher & Associates - Creating Engaging Lessons
Part of Calisher & Associates, Inc. role in the development of ambulatory surgery centers and other outpatient facilities is training the staff in relation to the various business processes they will be expected to follow. This presents a challenge, particularly when teaching staff whose minds are on the tasks they need to complete during the course of the workday, so it is important to create engaging lessons.
State Your Purpose
It is crucial that staff members appreciate the importance of the training they are about to receive. As such, you should make the purpose of the lesson clear from the offer and help them to understand the practical purposes of the information that you will teach.
Use Humor
While it is important to remember that you are in a professional environment, by being personable and demonstrating a sense of humor you will be more likely to engage the staff you are training. Even the smallest of bonds will increase engagement.
Ask Questions
Don’t simply relay information to the staff and expect all of it to be absorbed. Instead, break your lessons down into sections and ask questions at the end of each one. This will encourage staff to pay attention, in addition to giving you a better idea of how well the lesson is being absorbed.
Refine Lesson Plans
Not every lesson is going to go perfectly, which is why Calisher & Associates, Inc. makes it a pint to gather feedback after a training session to determine what staff enjoyed and which areas of the lesson need improvement.
Calisher & Associates - Tips for Staff Training
Staff training is one of the many services that Calisher & Associates, Inc. offers to its clients. Particular focus is placed on the business processes and administrative systems that are in place during these sessions and the company uses the following techniques to ensure staff absorb the information that they need.
Visual and Text
People learn in a variety of ways, so you need to vary the training you provide appropriately. Some learners will struggle with text-based lectures, yet find that everything clicks into place with some visual aids. Others learn in the opposite fashion. As such, staff training should be flexible enough to account for both types of learner.
Create Context
If the staff doesn’t understand the purpose of the training and how it will help in their day-to-day jobs, they are likely to tune out fairly quickly. As such, you should make sure you provide plenty of context and practical examples for each new skill that is taught, thus letting staff know the purpose of the lesson and how they will be asked to use their new skills going forward.
Measure Objectives
In some ways, staff training can be approached much like a large project, which is an area where Calisher & Associates, Inc. has years of expertise. Create an overall goal for the training sessions and the milestones that must be reached before each staff member can claim to have achieved that goal. Measure how well they are taking in information through small tests, practical study and simply by asking and answering questions.
