Becker's ASC Review

15 ASC MANAGEMENT North Carolina surgical center asks governor to overturn ASC denial By Alan Condon P inehurst (N.C.) Surgical Clinic on Oct. 4 petitioned Gov. Roy Cooper to reverse the denial of its proposed ASC in Sanford, according to e Pilot, a local news outlet. In late September, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services rejected Pinehurst's plans to build a surgery center that would cost $6 million to $12 million, citing a surplus of operating rooms in Lee County. North Carolina is one of 35 states that has a certificate-of-need program, which is designed to control healthcare costs by re- stricting competition for duplicative services and determining whether capital expendi- tures meet a community need. But David Grantham, MD, Pinehurst's president and medical director, argues rural communities in North Carolina need more access to quality care. "We see a lot of folks from Lee County at our regular clinic in Pinehurst,'' he told e Pilot. "For people to have surgery and then make them drive 30 to 40 minutes to an hour to get back to their home is a big ask." In 2018, Pinehurst-based FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a nonprofit health system that operates four hospitals in the state, expanded services in Lee County, where it now provides primary care, urgent care and fitness services as well as emergency medical services for the county, according to the report. Dr. Grantham said FirstHealth's expansion of services boosted Pinehurst's presence in the greater area, but most physicians affili- ated with the surgical center do not have privileges at Sanford-based Central Carolina Hospital, a Duke LifePoint facility. "As a surgical group, we have to have a place to operate to provide the high level services we provide," Dr. Grantham said. "As of now, those patients can be seen in Lee County but must come back to Moore Regional or Pinehurst Surgical Clinic in Pinehurst for surgery." Pinehurst wants to build an ASC there for patients "needing that level of additional care." e proposed surgery center would specialize in orthopedic procedures such as knee replacement and offer overnight capa- bilities for those who wish to avoid staying at a hospital. The governor's office will decide whether it will overturn the North Carolina De- partment of Health and Human Services' decision. If the decision is upheld, Pine- hurst can reapply for a certificate of need in 2022. n Loyola Medicine plans $69M ASC — 5 details By Alan Condon M aywood, Ill.-based Loyola Medicine proposed a surgery center in Tinley Park, Ill., that would cost more than $69 million, the Chicago Tribune reported Oct. 12. Four details: 1. The proposed facility would span 72,000 square feet and signal the end of healthcare operations at Loyola Medicine's recently expanded campus in Orland Park, Ill., according to the report. 2. Services offered at the ASC would include orthope- dic surgery, oncology, cardiology, pulmonary medi- cine, urology and primary care. 3. The two-story building would feature an imaging center with an X-ray suite, laboratory, pharmacy and cancer care center, as well as 50 exam rooms and eight procedure rooms. 4. Loyola Medicine said in its filing that the facility would see about 1,500 patients a week and employ around 130 people. n Illinois hospital closing ASC cites low volume, COVID strain By Patsy Newitt R ed Bud (Ill.) Regional Hospital intends to close the Monroe County Surgical Center in Waterloo, Ill., citing low volume and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Republic-Times reported Oct. 6. The 6,800-square-foot ASC suspended services in 2020 be- cause of COVID-19 and has remained nonoperational since. The center's two operating rooms were running with low volume before the pandemic. The ASC was operating at a 10.2 percent capacity in 2019 and a 22.9 percent capacity in 2018, Jen Babb, the center's administrator, wrote in a filing with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. Ms. Babb said she is not aware of any effect the last year of suspension has had on patient access and that she doesn't anticipate much impact with its permanent closure. The ASC opened in 2011 as a physician-owned facility. In 2015, a majority stake was acquired by Red Bud Regional Hospital for $2.2 million. n

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