title: Practice management/role of the medical director.
abstract: Although the nature of ambulatory surgery has changed over the years, the ideal role of the medical director mirrors its earliest iterations, focusing on excellent customer service and high quality of care. These efforts are supported by 3 modern methods of quality management borrowed from industry: intentional process improvement, standard care pathways, and monitoring outcomes to determine the efficacy of each. These methods are critical to master in order to lead the facility and providers to the highest quality of care and service.
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology, Center for Perioperative Services, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA. Electronic address: douglas.g.merrill@hitchcock.org.
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Merrill
mesh_terms: D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D008486:Physician Executives; D020399:Practice Management / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Administration; Ambulatory surgery center; Anesthesiology; Business; Medical director; Outcomes; Practice management; Quality