Robust companies have a corporate culture where everyone is constantly on the lookout for new business. Although many opportunities are identified through intentional strategies and business development, many result from people picking up on a seemingly insignificant comment, or reading a little bit further into what appears to be a routine situation. These opportunities can come into all corners of a company – and in unexpected ways. All of us can be consumed by our daily work and responsibilities, but by simply keeping the opportunity-radar-mindset running in the background, we can pick up on that “eureka” moment: the discovery of a great new opportunity.

In our current geographies, (home to many well-developed metropolitan markets), the day-to-day challenges of putting the right resources in the right place at the right time – followed by doing the work itself- can be all-consuming. Finding and identifying new business opportunities requires going the extra mile, as well as solid teamwork. Our Team Leads, along with their teams, have provided excellent intelligence that has turned up de novo opportunities. They have spotted competitor groups that are faltering in other hospitals, identified new surgeon groups, or learned of expansion of surgical capabilities in our existing hospitals as well as other opportunities. With their eyes and ears open, they have paid particular attention to what their surgeons are saying. This information has been invaluable in helping us get a jump on engaging with administration at these new hospitals.

Identifying de novo business outside of our established markets takes a broader strategic approach pwdacme. With no established provider base in these locations, our main development tool is ASP’s Outsourcing Solutions.

Hospitals in the United States have been going through changes that have sent their executives scrambling for solutions to maintain their bottom line, while concentrating management efforts on the highest return projects. With a wide variety of new solutions being pitched at them every day, combined with the fact that surgical assistant services are not generally at the forefront of perceived needs, the key to reaching these executives is to be able to cut through the noise. With targeted research, we have been able to identify some promising prospects. Gaining top-management support from the outset with a powerful value proposition and a strong brand image are essential for pulling an outside-the-box solution all the way through to the finish line.

The good news is that, over the past decade or so, outsourcing has become more widely accepted in healthcare. Following a long tradition of keeping all aspects under home-grown control, minds have been opening to the fact that outsourcing to companies dedicated to specific service areas can help hospitals provide better and more economical patient care. Other benefits include that they are not locked into a fixed number of employees, which means they have the flexibility to expand incrementally to match demand. Also, with the increased pressure on hospital personnel to get more done with fewer resources, an outsourcing solution can take significant work from their plates, and they in turn have more time to focus directly on taking care of their patients; It’s the win-win we are all looking for.

We should never underestimate the intelligence we gain from being in a facility when providing routine scheduled services, meeting with its key personnel or making a periodic account management call.   Understanding a facility’s needs in terms of their operations, personnel or processes is invaluable. However, knowing is not enough – what matters is what we do with this knowledge. The powers of observation combined with ASP’s vision are an unbeatable combination when it comes to discovering opportunities.