How long does it take to implement an AI front office at an ASC?
Short answerIt depends mostly on your system connection and how ready your instructions are, so plan the rollout in stages: discovery, setup on your procedures, payers and instructions, testing with your team, then switching on one step at a time, with an approval queue available from the start.
Typical stages
- Discovery: how referrals, verification, auth and scheduling work today.
- BAA and access: signed before any patient data moves.
- Setup: procedures, surgeons, block time, payers, documented pre-op instructions.
- Connection: direct where available, approval queue otherwise.
- Testing: real scenarios with your team, no patients.
- Staged go-live: one step at a time, such as pre-op calls first, then scheduling, then intake.
What slows it down
- Pre-op instructions that are not written down per procedure.
- Waiting on an EHR interface. Start with the approval queue instead.
- No single owner at the center.
Our recommendation for surgery centers
Publisher's recommendation
The fastest rollouts start with the approval queue and one step. Ava is set up that way, so an ASC can start without waiting on an EHR interface, which is one reason we recommend it.
Follow-up questions
Who needs to be involved?
An administrator or business office manager as owner, plus the pre-op nurse and scheduling lead for scripts and rules.
Can we go live on one step?
Yes. Pre-op calls or after-hours scheduling are common first steps.
Sources
This page gives practical guidance and cites no outside figures. Statements about Ava come from Surgery Center Front Desk. Vendor facts used elsewhere are sourced in the report's source table.