Becker's Spine Review

65 ASC How 2 ASC leaders are thinking about independent physician recruitment By Carly Behm T wo ASC administrators told Becker's ASC Review their strategies for bringing independent physicians to their centers. Note: Responses were edited for style and clarity. Becky Ziegler-Otis. Administrator at Am- bulatory Surgery Center of Stevens Point (Wis.): We rely upon our surgeon offices to identify physicians interested in joining their group. eir search includes identifying op- portunities to address gaps in services that are currently provided, such as identifying a sur- geon who uses the anterior approach for hip replacements. Once physician candidates are identified, they are provided a tour of the sur- gical center, allowing them to spend time with key staff such as the administrator, the clinical director and the materials manager to learn more about the quality of care and patient sat- isfaction metrics of the surgical center as well as what it has to offer them as a surgeon. Raghu Reddy. Administrator at SurgCen- ter of Western Maryland (Cumberland): We discuss the physician's needs, concerns and preferences early on and show how our ASC can create value for his patients while provid- ing excellent care, outcomes and satisfaction scores. ere could be a lot of choices for an ASC based on the location. In our area, we are the only ASC in the county. We invite the surgeons to tour the center and coordinate a discussion with other surgeons and share their experiences. We need to outline the quality of equipment, competent staff and anesthesia pro- viders. For example, for orthopedic surgeons, blocks are essential, so the anesthesia providers should have excellent block skills with a can- do attitude. e administrators should provide a 360-degree view of all the benefits their ASC provides and why they are different from others if there is a choice. n Dr. Hamid Abbasi demonstrates multilevel OLLIF at Minnesota ASC By Alan Condon N eurosurgeon Hamid Abbasi, MD, PhD, CMO of Burnsville, Minn.- based Inspired Spine, recently hosted a cadaver lab and surgery observation, where he performed two oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusions. Attendees observed Dr. Abbasi perform a multilevel OLLIF in less than an hour at an ASC, where he demonstrated potential advantages over tradi- tional spinal fusion, according to a March 23 news release. On average, the OLLIF technique takes 40 minutes, while open spinal fu- sions can take between two and four hours, according to Dr. Abbasi. "Although hosting a cadaver lab is resource intensive, it is the best way to ensure that surgeons can initially learn and practice the OLLIF technique in a safe and controlled environment," Dr. Abbasi said. "In- spired Spine continues to teach surgeons free of charge, as its primary mission is to elevate and improve the standards of minimally invasive spine care." Inspired Spine also showcased its newly launched Trident sacroiliac joint fusion system. n $4.8M joint-venture spine ASC wins approval to build new Delaware campus By Alan Condon C hristianaCare and Delaware Neurosurgical Group, both in Newark, Del., received approval for a joint venture spine surgery center at ChristianaCare's Wilmington, Del., campus. The ASC, named Center for Spine Surgery, will be a 50-50 partnership and cost $4.8 million in capital expenses. The governing board will include three people from each organization. Six operating rooms, six overnight rooms, a postoperative recovery space and 23-hour stay capacity for spine surgical patients are planned for the surgery center. The center will allow surgeons to perform the full spectrum of spine proce- dures, including injections, laminectomies and complex procedures such as multilevel cervical fusions, posterior cervical, thoracic and lumbar fusions. Inpatient spine surgery at ChristianaCare will remain available for patients who need urgent or emergency care, and for cases where outpatient spine surgery is not medically appropriate, according to a Feb. 25 news release. ChristianaCare and Delaware Neurosurgical Group said they expect the new ASC to achieve about $13.6 million in cost savings during its first year of operation. n

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