Claude Project: Build Your Persistent ASC Coordinator AI Assistant

What This Builds

Instead of starting from scratch every time you open an AI chat window — re-explaining your center, your physicians, your protocols, and your payer list — you'll build a Claude Project that already knows everything about your ASC. Ask it to "draft a pre-op letter for Dr. Smith's 7am knee replacement" and it already knows Dr. Smith's specialty, your center's standard protocols, and how you like letters formatted. Every session builds on the last.

Prerequisites

• Claude Pro account ($20/month at claude.ai) — Projects require the Pro tier
• 1–2 hours to gather and organize your center's reference documents
• At least 3–4 weeks of experience using Claude for basic ASC tasks (Level 3)

The Concept

A Claude Project is like hiring a new employee who starts their first day with your complete policy manual memorized. You tell them your center's name, your physician roster, your standard protocols, your payer quirks, and your preferred writing style — and from that point on, every conversation with that employee starts from that shared knowledge. You never re-explain what your center does or who Dr. Chen is.

Regular ChatGPT or Claude conversations forget everything when you close the tab. A Project remembers, indefinitely.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Create the Project and define its purpose

Step 1: Log into claude.ai. In the left sidebar, click "Projects" → "New Project."

Step 2: Name the Project: "ASC Coordinator — [Your Center Name]"

Step 3: Write the Project Instructions (this is the most important step). Click "Edit Project Instructions" and paste in this template, customized for your center:

You are an AI assistant for an ASC Coordinator at [Center Name], an ambulatory surgery center in [City, State] specializing in [specialties, e.g., orthopedics, ophthalmology, GI, urology].

Your role: Help draft professional documents, analyze information, and answer questions in ways that are immediately useful to the coordinator.

Center Details:
- Center name: [Center Name]
- Address: [Address]
- Phone: [Phone]
- OR start time: [Time, e.g., 6:30am]
- Pre-op delivery deadline: [e.g., 6:00am day of surgery]
- Credentialing system: [VendorMate/Reptrax/other]

Standard Pre-Op Protocols:
- NPO: Nothing after midnight; clear liquids until 4 hours before procedure
- Blood thinners: Hold warfarin 5 days, Plavix 7 days, aspirin per surgeon
- Metformin: Hold day of surgery
- Arrival: 90 minutes before procedure time
- Driver: Required for all patients — no rideshare

Physician Roster:
[List your active physicians and specialties]
- Dr. [Name]: [Specialty], [Common procedures]
- Dr. [Name]: [Specialty], [Common procedures]

Top Insurance Companies:
- [Payer 1]: [Any quirks — e.g., "requires peer-to-peer for all spinal procedures"]
- [Payer 2]: [Any quirks]

Writing Style Preferences:
- Professional but warm — not clinical or cold
- Use clear, numbered lists for patient instructions
- Credentialing letters should be formal and concise
- Appeal letters should be assertive and cite specific clinical criteria
- Never include the word "utilize" — use "use" instead

HIPAA Note: When I provide patient information, I will use initials or placeholders. Do not retain or reference actual patient names across sessions.

Step 4: Click Save.

Part 2: Upload your reference documents

Click "Add to Project" or the paperclip icon to upload files. Upload these documents:

• Your center's pre-op protocol document (PDF or Word)
• Your current physician roster and privilege list
• Your top 5 payer prior authorization requirements (policy summaries from Claude research)
• Any standard letter templates you've already created
• Your vendor contact list

These documents become searchable knowledge the Project can draw from in every conversation.

What you should see: Document icons listed under "Project Knowledge." Claude now has these as reference.

Part 3: Test with realistic tasks

Start a new conversation within the Project. Try these test prompts:

1. "Draft a pre-op letter for a patient having Dr. [name]'s typical knee replacement case on March 25 at 7:30am."
2. "Write a credentialing reminder to Dr. [name] — their state license expires June 15."
3. "Draft an appeal letter for a denied total knee arthroplasty with Anthem. Denial: conservative treatment not documented."

What you should see: Each response is already tailored to your center's specifics — the correct center name, the correct protocols, the correct physician's name and specialty — without you having to provide that context. The output is ready to edit and use immediately.

Part 4: Refine based on first-week usage

After using the Project for a week, note what needs adjustment:

• Responses that use the wrong tone? Update the writing style preferences in the Project Instructions.
• Missing a payer's specific requirements? Add the policy summary as a document.
• A new physician joined? Add them to the roster section.

Real Example: A Day Using Your ASC Coordinator Project

Setup: Project configured with your center info, 22 physicians, 8 major payers, standard protocols.

Input (Monday morning, 5 minutes of prompts):

1. "Anthem denied Dr. Wilson's TKR for patient with severe OA, BMI 34, KOOS 22. Failed PT x 4 months. Write appeal."
2. "Pre-op letter for Dr. Kim's two cataract cases tomorrow at 8am and 9am."
3. "Reminder to vendor rep Marcus at Stryker — tomorrow's cases need Triathlon system."
4. "Dr. Patel's DEA expires April 30. Reminder letter."

Output: Four complete, ready-to-use documents — all properly formatted, all using your center's name and protocols, all in your preferred writing style.

Time saved: What might take 60–90 minutes of individual drafting from scratch → 15 minutes with the Project, including review time.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Project "forgets" physician details → The roster in Project Instructions is outdated. Update it whenever a physician joins or leaves.
• Appeals letter doesn't hit payer criteria → The payer's policy isn't in your Project knowledge. Add the policy summary document.
• Protocols in the letter are wrong → The protocol document you uploaded is outdated. Replace it with the current version.
• Claude says it can't access the documents → Check that the documents are actually uploaded — look for them listed under Project Knowledge. If a document was very large, try splitting it into smaller files.

Variations

• Simpler version: Use a single Claude Project with just the center name and physician roster — add more detail gradually as you use it
• Extended version: Create separate Projects for different work areas: one for prior auth and appeals, one for patient communication, one for credentialing — each with highly specialized knowledge

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the Project with your center basics; test with 5 real tasks
• This month: Add your payer policy summaries and physician roster; tune the writing style based on your feedback
• Advanced: Share read-only access to the Project with your administrator so they can use the same resource for their communications

Advanced guide for ASC coordinator professionals. Claude Pro subscription required. These techniques use Claude's Projects feature, which requires a paid plan.