Envision Healthcare Shares Resources to Support Clinician Mental Health

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National Medical Group Uses Systematic Professional Well-Being Approach to Support Clinicians’ Wellness

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Envision Healthcare, a leading national medical group, is providing best practices on how to improve the professional well-being of clinicians and mitigate burnout. To help the more than 50 percent of clinicians who experience symptoms of burnout,[1] Envision is sharing its mental health resources with the entire medical community.

Throughout the pandemic, clinicians have dealt with similar life stressors that everyone is facing – illness and death of loved ones, child-rearing responsibilities and overall uncertainty – compounded by the trauma and fatigue of fighting a deadly disease for more than 18 months. The post-traumatic stress of the pandemic has and will continue to impact clinicians in the months and years to come.

To help clinicians navigate the many challenges they face in the U.S. healthcare system, Envision has enhanced the wellness resources it provides clinicians and efforts to reduce stigma around mental health, including:

  • Advocating for the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act and public policy changes to promote the study of professional mental, behavioral health and burnout among healthcare professionals
  • Providing additional crisis peer support and free mental health support services to clinicians as they continue to care for critically ill COVID-19 patients
  • Enhancing its wellness program to address the psychological and emotional needs of clinicians, including peer-to-peer support, leadership training and counseling

“As a national medical group, it is a core tenet of our mission to care for and foster an environment that supports the professional well-being of clinicians; however, clinician well-being can’t solely focus on the individual – it must encompass personal, organizational, healthcare system and policy interventions,” said Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, Vice President of Clinician Engagement at Envision Healthcare. “We must ensure all clinicians have the resources necessary to support their mental health and well-being. Clinicians are there when we need them most – we must be there for them.”

To further support clinician well-being, Envision supports organizational and healthcare system policy improvements, such as improving practice schedule flexibility, reforming tort laws and providing student loan relief. While individual well-being and resiliency are important, addressing professional well-being as a systemic issue that is actionable will lead to positive, lasting change.

Read the full clinician professional well-being white paper here.

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About Envision Healthcare Corporation
Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading national medical group that delivers physician and advanced practice provider services, primarily in the areas of emergency and hospitalist medicine, anesthesiology, radiology/teleradiology, and neonatology to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Post-acute care is delivered through an array of clinical professionals and integrated technologies which, when combined, contribute to efficient and effective population health management strategies. As a market leader in ambulatory surgical care, the medical group owns and operates 255 surgery centers in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the medical group offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale with a local understanding of our communities, creating value for health systems, payers, providers, and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

[1] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25521

AMSURG is Proud to Exceed National Benchmarks for Patient Experience Scores

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Press Ganey, a survey research firm focusing on patient experience in healthcare, disseminates over 95 million mail, phone and electronic surveys each year. So, when AMSURG’s partnering ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) exceed the national benchmarks in their results—that’s something to share. Ensuring that patients are safe and satisfied with the care they receive is always a priority but even more so during these challenging times.

More than 95 percent of AMSURG’s partnering ASCs are participating in the Press Ganey’s Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS). Over the last year, the centers have consistently exceeded the national benchmarks for “overall patient experience” and “likelihood to recommend.” Additionally, many of these centers chose to share the results on their websites and to be transparent with their patients’ feedback.

When comparing AMSURG partner ASCs with hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), AMSURG ASCs have consistently ranked in the 80th percentile in 2020—outperforming the majority of HOPDs. In the second quarter of 2020 and in the midst of crisis, AMSURG centers were in the 87th percentile for overall patient experience ratings.

As AMSURG’s partners are some of the only centers to publicly display these comments and overall rankings, results and experiences have continued to deliver well-earned recognition. One patient at Eastern Connecticut Endoscopy Center, who scored 89 percent for overall patient experience and 88 percent for likelihood to recommend, wrote, “I felt very comfortable and safe with all of the staff and facilities during my recent visit to have a colonoscopy performed. Every effort was made to ensure my safety as a senior citizen, and the procedure was completed in a little more than an hour.”

Westbank Surgery Center, who scored 94 percent for overall patient experience and 93 percent for likelihood to recommend, has also been given amazing feedback, including one pleased patient who applauded the facility and appreciated their team for easing apprehensions. “Very good experience. Staff is very organized, and everything ran smoothly like clockwork as it should. Have had lots of hospital visits. This was an A+ one. I will be returning in 2 weeks for a second procedure and am very at ease about it,” the patient commented.

“AMSURG is a strong proponent of sharing our patient experience scores and we are impressed by the positive feedback from our patients,” said Nina Goins, Vice President of Quality and Clinical Services for AMSURG. “As the centers face new challenges, patient safety and quality remain the primary focus. The great efforts of their care and the constant demonstration of their compassion for patients have absolutely not gone unnoticed, and I think it’s important we commend this valuable work.”

AMSURG will continue to support partnering centers and drive best practices in order to continue providing our patients with high-quality experiences.

For more information about AMSURG’s commitment to our centers amid COVID-19, visit amsurg.com/covid-19.

Introducing The SURG Videocast: Watch the First Episode Today

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AMSURG is excited to announce the launch of a new videocast, The Surg. Each month, we will host an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) physician partner to discuss clinical hot topics. Are there pros and cons to pre-procedure testing? What are safe turnaround times in an era of COVID-19? How should you prepare for flu season amidst COVID-19? We’ll answer those questions, and more, as we seek to be a resource for research and best practices, and a voice for our ambulatory surgery centers.

Episode 1

Envision Healthcare Chief Medical Officer and AMSURG Interim President Chan Chuang, M.D., hosts the first episode of The Surg, which you can watch here.

In the episode, Dr. Chuang and Erick Pecha, M.D., a gastroenterologist and founding physician partner with Folsom Sierra Endoscopy Center in California and president of the Gastroenterology Medical Clinic in Folsom, together tackle questions about COVID testing times, surgery center workflow, getting through state inspections, and best practices for increasing capacity while enhancing safety.

One bright spot Dr. Pecha identifies: though patients are somewhat anxious about safety, no-show rates are down from the pre-COVID era. One reason for that is the pre-procedure planning process. “Once you set up the program … and you explain to your patients that our goal is to create a sphere of safety for them that is better than their local grocery store, there has been quite easy adoption by the patients in terms of their compliance.”

Share Your Feedback

As with all of our communications, we welcome your feedback. After viewing The Surg, please take a moment to complete this survey.

Envision Healthcare Appoints Key Leaders

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Envision Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading medical groups, today announced new additions to its leadership team, with Jay Martus returning to the organization in the new role of Chief Revenue Officer and Jeff Snodgrass joining as President of AMSURG.

“As a national medical group, our leaders all share the same mission – supporting clinicians so they can care for patients,” said Envision Chief Executive Officer Jim Rechtin. “Jay and Jeff have extensive experience in healthcare administration, and they will be part of the leadership team that is charting the course so Envision can continue to set standards for patient care. I am very pleased to welcome Jay back to our organization and look forward to having both him and Jeff on board.”

As Chief Revenue Officer, Martus will focus on managed care, malpractice risk and hospital contracting. Martus spent 20 years at Sheridan Healthcare, which later became Envision Physician Services following the 2016 merger between Envision and AMSURG. Until 2014, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. He also previously served as President of Advantia Health, a board member of Ob Hospitalist Group and a healthcare consultant.

As President of AMSURG, Snodgrass will lead one of the country’s largest ambulatory surgery management operations. Prior to joining Envision, Snodgrass served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Azura Vascular Care and National Cardiology Partners, leading the company’s vascular and cardiology outpatient, interventional and surgical business units at Fresenius Medical Care. Before joining Fresenius, Jeff was the Chief Financial Officer at inVentiv Health, supporting the integration and creation of a global Contract Research Organization. Snodgrass spent 17 years at Merck & Co., most recently serving as Vice President of Finance for Merck’s research and development organization.

With a new AMSURG President in place, Interim President Dr. Chan Chuang will return to his previously announced, full-time role as Envision’s Chief Medical Officer. Both Martus and Snodgrass will be in their new roles by early September.

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About Envision Healthcare Corporation

Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading national medical group that delivers physician and advanced practice provider services, primarily in the areas of emergency and hospitalist medicine, anesthesiology, radiology/teleradiology, and neonatology to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Post-acute care is delivered through an array of clinical professionals and integrated technologies which, when combined, contribute to efficient and effective population health management strategies. As a market leader in ambulatory surgical care, the medical group owns and operates 257 surgery centers and one surgical hospital in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the medical group offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale with a local understanding of our communities, creating value for health systems, payers, providers, and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

AMSURG Centers Excel in Patient Experience

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Eight Centers Receive the Coveted Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award

Surgery centers across the AMSURG network work diligently to deliver an ideal experience and safe, high-quality care to our patients every day. Eight of our centers have consistently exceeded patient experience goals and were awarded the 2020 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award. These surgery centers maintained exemplary patient experience ratings for the past year, ranking within the top fifth percentile of Press Ganey’s eligible clientele. Only 18 of 2,700 surgery centers received the award and AMSURG is honored to represent nearly half of the award recipients.

Guardian of Excellence Award Winners

Gastroenterology

Ophthalmology

Orthopaedic

*This is the second consecutive year for Sun City Endoscopy Center to receive the prestigious award.

“Our surgery centers are an integral part of the healthcare systems in the communities they serve. We commend each of the surgery centers for their commitment to providing exceptional care and experiences for every patient,” said Chan Chuang, M.D., FCCP, FACP, AMSURG President and Envision Healthcare Chief Medical Officer. “These eight centers are shining examples of what it means to provide patient-centered care.”

The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes healthcare organizations that score in the 95th percentile for patient experience, employee/physician engagement or clinical quality performance. Press Ganey, a leader in development and distribution of patient satisfaction surveys, partners with more than 26,000 organizations to administer the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS). The survey measures the care experiences of patients who receive procedures at Medicare-certified surgery centers.

“AMSURG is very proud of the work these centers perform in service to patients every day. This year has been especially unique, presenting new challenges and working environments,” said Nina Goins, Vice President of Quality and Clinical Services, AMSURG, “The centers have not let these challenges impact the focus on keeping our patients our first priority. They are truly setting the standard.”

AMSURG is proud to recognize these centers and their employees for their ability to uphold and consistently deliver high-quality patient care.

Short Hills Surgery Center Shows Flexibility During COVID-19, Serves Community Need

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As COVID-19 continues to disrupt America’s healthcare system, AMSURG’s ASC partners have displayed remarkable flexibility and ambition in augmenting the capabilities of their centers to help stabilize their communities and keep patients safe. At Short Hills Surgery Center (SHSC) in Millburn, New Jersey, strategic efforts made by administrative, physician and AMSURG leadership helped to quickly serve the community’s need while maintaining the viability of the ASC.

The response to learning of the infectious nature of COVID-19 was one of immediate action. SHSC leadership immediately canceled scheduled patients at high risk of infection, limited the center’s operating days, and took steps to prepare for overflow relief from hospitals around the community.

To minimize the possibility of cross-infection exposure to a COVID-19-positive person and risk the closure of the ASC, staff was divided into teams assigned to work on different days. Communication was sent to all members of the medical staff to advise them of the new protocols and to provide them with a status update on the center’s operations.

SHSC’s medical director reached out to medical leadership at SHSC’s health system partner, RWJ Barnabas Health, offering the center as a “relief valve” for patients within the health system requiring urgent surgery that could not be managed by their hospitals. After being welcomed by the health system, SHSC administration quickly sprang into action to identify which additional surgical cases could be handled from the hospital and to procure the resources needed to expand their scope of service.

SHSC has also implemented rigorous safety protocols to further protect the safety of staff and patients from COVID-19 exposure.

This incredible response by SHSC exemplifies the agility and thoughtfulness required across the healthcare industry to appropriately address the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to community need. While there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for an unprecedented crisis such as this, AMSURG is committed to helping our ASC partners develop and implement solutions that work to protect their patients and clinicians while ensuring the viability of their center and its essential role in the community.

To learn more about the work AMSURG is doing in collaboration with our ASC partners, visit our COVID-19 landing page.

BOSS Fills Community Need Through Center Reallocation

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As the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve, AMSURG’s centers are responding with ingenuity and are meeting the needs in their communities to support long-term population health. At Boston Out-Patient Surgical Suites (BOSS) in Waltham, Massachusetts, that meant adapting their facility to assist local hospitals in the effort to protect patients and clinicians.

Through the leadership and guidance of Center Leader Greg Deconciliis, BOSS transitioned their center to support COVID-19 relief efforts in their local community. Coordinating with local hospitals, BOSS converted their physician offices to “urgent-care” settings, whereby physicians could see patients through both telehealth and in-person visits and would be able to streamline their surgical care in the operating rooms upstairs in a COVID-19-free setting.

The center also provided outreach to the director of surgery at a local acute care hospital through BOSS’s general surgeon, offering a streamlined process to move patients from the emergency department to BOSS to offload the hospital’s workflow and resources. These strategic moves helped establish a stronger local healthcare safety net by managing the resources necessary to respond to patient needs and keep clinicians safe.

Protecting Patients and Staff

We appreciate BOSS’s thoughtful response to the COVID-19 crisis, which has helped safeguard its viability while protecting patients, clinicians and communities.

AMSURG is committed to serving our centers and communities during this unprecedented time and in preparation for its aftermath. In collaboration with our ASC partners, our Flex Operational Plan is ready to help centers reallocate resources to ensure our local communities stay safe. To learn more about AMSURG’s COVID-19 response efforts, visit our COVID-19 page.

AMSURG Develops Toolkit to Guide Ambulatory Surgery Centers in Providing Safe, Quality Patient Care

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – AMSURG, a division of Envision Healthcare and national leader in the management of ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), has developed guidelines to support the delivery of safe, quality outpatient care as communities begin resuming elective procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Quality patient care is always our top priority, and following clinical best practices, along with federal and local guidance, will help ensure the safety of our patients and clinicians as we resume elective procedures during this public health crisis,” said Dr. Chan Chuang, Chief Medical Officer of Envision and Co-President of AMSURG. “Ambulatory surgery centers are an integral part of the healthcare delivery system, providing quality care at a significantly lower cost and in a more convenient setting than many alternative care sites. The services we provide are essential in helping patients maintain their health and quality of life, and these procedures can be resumed safely in some communities.”

The guidelines developed by AMSURG clinical and quality leaders provide the organization’s network of more than 3,700 physicians and more than 250 ASCs with recommended processes to ensure clinician and patient safety. The best practices include:

  • Screening patients diligently. In addition to conducting a thorough patient screening for the appropriate elective procedure, ASCs are screening patients for COVID-19. All clinical staff members are also screened daily.
  • Educating patients. In addition to traditional pre-procedure education, AMSURG ASCs are educating patients on precautions the center is taking to protect patients and staff. Education also includes information about patients’ role in their health and well-being.
  • Implementing social distancing precautions. ASCs are scheduling more time between procedures to enable appropriate social distancing during patients’ care journeys and thoroughly clean treatment rooms and equipment.
  • Continuing to adhere to high clinical quality and safety measures. Clinicians and clinical staff are following strict clinical guidelines, including screening for COVID-19, using appropriate personal protective equipment and following stringent cleaning protocols.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S., AMSURG ASCs have complied with all local and federal guidelines and been a part of efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus and support patient care. Some centers have aligned with hospitals and state agencies to distribute critical resources like personal protective equipment and ventilators to areas of greatest need. Other centers have continued to provide essential care to patients – when it was medically necessary not to delay a procedure – including a colonoscopy to detect and remove cancerous polyps and urgent orthopaedic and retina procedures to improve patients’ quality of life.

Envision, along with AMSURG, has taken a leading position in responding to America’s call for COVID-19 care. The medical group’s actions to support clinicians, healthcare partners and patients include:

  • Mobilizing to meet the need for more physicians and advanced practice providers across the nation. Envision is providing support to 55 medical sites by deploying more than 500 clinicians to care for COVID-19 patients. Anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists from the anesthesiology provider team are already on the ground to meet unprecedented demand for care. Clinicians will continue to be deployed to address surging hot spots across the country.
  • Securing more than 5 million items of PPE, including masks, face shields, gowns, and goggles to support Envision’s clinicians and hospital partners. This PPE is being delivered to areas of greatest need.
  • Treating every patient regardless of their ability to pay. Envision has committed to working with all parties to ensure no COVID-19 patient is burdened with unexpected costs. We will not send patients surprise medical bills and will work to ensure patients are only responsible for in-network cost-sharing.
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About AMSURG

AMSURG acquires, develops and operates ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) in partnership with physicians throughout the United States. As of January 1, 2020, AMSURG owned and operated 257 ASCs and one surgical hospital in 34 states and the District of Columbia with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopaedics. To learn more about AMSURG, a division of Envision Healthcare Corporation, visit www.amsurg.com.

About Envision Healthcare Corporation

Envision Healthcare Corporation is a leading provider of physician-led services and post-acute care, and ambulatory surgery services. The Company delivers physician services, primarily in the areas of emergency department and hospitalist services, anesthesiology services, radiology/tele-radiology services, and children’s services to more than 1,800 clinical departments in healthcare facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Post-acute care is delivered through an array of clinical professionals and integrated technologies which, when combined, contribute to efficient and effective population health management strategies. As a market leader in ambulatory surgical care, the Company owns and operates 257 surgery centers and one surgical hospital in 35 states and the District of Columbia, with medical specialties ranging from gastroenterology to ophthalmology and orthopedics. In total, the Company offers a differentiated suite of clinical solutions on a national scale, creating value for health systems, payers, providers and patients. For additional information, visit www.envisionhealth.com.

Blue Water Surgery Center Performs Its First Total Joint Procedure

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From lower costs and attentive care to a reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections and at-home recovery, there are many benefits for patients who have total joint replacements in the ambulatory surgery center setting. The team at Blue Water Surgery Center in Port Huron, Michigan, recently completed its first total joint procedure, preparing the center to offer these benefits to patients in the market.

“We discussed performing total joint procedures at the center for years. We worried that the population in our market would not want to have such procedures at an ASC,” explained Karen Squires, Center Leader at Blue Water Surgery Center. “One of our doctors began exploring his cases and encouraging the team to investigate what would be needed to make the surgeries happen in our center.”

After exploration, the center staff took a year and a half to fully prepare to bring total joints to the center. During the preparation time, the center staff completed the large amount of due diligence needed to successfully complete their first knee replacement surgery.

Blue Water’s commitment to ensure the first total joint procedure was a success was evident in the amount of preparation the center completed. The team conducted a full run-through of the procedure to rehearse, prepare and ensure everything went as planned. The entire staff, clinicians and support roles, were engaged and invested in the process. “Each member of the team brought positive energy to this initiative. It was truly a team effort,” added Karen.

The Total Joints Toolkit is a helpful resource the center used in the preparation process as well. “We did not reinvent the wheel but used all of the resources around us to ensure we had a safe and successful outcome for our patient. There were templates and best practices from other centers in the network at our disposal.”

“We worked with the vendors, our AMSURG Materials Manager Bryan Wolf, our Operations Lead Linda White and the Total Joints Coordinator Troy Sparks to ensure we were fully prepared and resourced,” Karen said. “Our vendors and ASMURG were helpful and supportive from start to finish.”

One of the key elements of adding total joint procedures at the ASC is identifying the right patients.  Generally, younger, healthy patients with the right ensure make for the best candidates. Active lifestyles are also an important factor in having the procedure completed in the ASC. “Our first procedure, a knee replacement, took a total of three hours with great pain management. Our patient was also able to manage pain well at home.”

With one successful procedure complete, Blue Water plans to explore bringing more total joints procedures into the center. “We definitely want to get a few more procedures under our belt before we begin marketing the procedures at the center,” explained Karen, “Our goal is to expand our work in spine and total joints. We have also implemented a study for multimodal pain management.”

“I have been the Center Leader since 2006 and have always said total joints would never happen … in 2019, my biggest lesson and reminder is to never say never,” Karen concluded.