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Administration/Is there a job description for a directory of ambulatory surgery?

QUESTION:

Our institution will soon be opening up a new Ambulatory Surgery Center. Does SAMBA have any guidelines for the job description of the Director of an Ambulatory Surgery Center?

-- Anonymous

REPLY:

SAMBA does not have any guidelines for this. Below is a description of my duties as Director of the Surgery Center at my institution. I hope this will be helpful.

The purpose of this position is to supervise all of the operational aspects of the facility. The position is a combination of Medical Director and Administrative Manager. Responsibilities include the direct supervision of the Surgery Center OR Nurse Manager, the Perioperative Nurse Manager and Surgery Center Administrative Staff. In this role the Director is responsible for all JCAHO accreditation issues, QA/QI programs, employee evaluations, counseling and education, coordination of intra and interdepartmental communication, personnel scheduling, facility and equipment maintenance, and adherence to all safety and legal requirements. Daily responsibilities include the supervision of the daily functioning of the units in order to maintain the efficient and cost-effective provision of services while maintaining a high standard of patient care. These duties include the scheduling of surgical procedures and Anesthesiologists, determination of the appropriateness of individual patients and procedures for the facility, communication with all of the physicians that practice at the facility and the maintenance of an efficiently managed unit. The position is also responsible for budget preparation, budget monitoring, the operation of the units within budgetary constraints, and the budgeting and purchase of capital equipment. The Director functions as the liaison to hospital administration and the medical staff office as the representative of the department. As such the Director serves or delegates representatives to various hospital and medical staff committees as directed by hospital administration, maintains records of unit activity and projects unit needs and activities for future planning. The Director reports to the Associate Director for Ambulatory Services for hospital functions and to the Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology for academic functions.

-- From Jonathan Pregler, M.D., Los Angeles, CA

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