24
JOINT
VENTURES
ValueHealth, Florida
health system launch joint
venture, plan 2 ASCs
By Patsy Newitt
V
alueHealth and NCH Healthcare System are launching a
joint venture to expand access to value-based outpa-
tient surgical care in Southwest Florida, ValueHealth
said Dec. 9.
The joint venture and some local physician partners have
already begun planning ASC locations, including a multispe-
cialty ASC in Bonita Springs, Fla., and a hyperspecialty ortho-
pedic ASC on the NCH Baker Hospital downtown campus
in Naples, Fla.
The partnership will use Leawood, Kan.-based ValueHealth's
technology that includes patient care management, payer
bundles and warranty contracts. Naples-based NCH Healthcare
will be integrated into ValueHealth's ASC network of more than
30 health system partners. n
USPI surgery center kicks off
total joint program
By Alan Condon
E
ffingham (Ill.) Ambulatory Surgery Center launched an
outpatient total joint replacement program, making it the
only freestanding facility to offer this service within 60
miles of the city, according to Effingham Radio.
The surgery center, which opened in 1995, is an affiliate of
Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International and a
joint venture partner with Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System
in Mattoon, Ill.
"The new total joint program is a great addition not only for
our ASC, but also for our community," Jeany Dunaway, admin-
istrator at the ASC, told the radio station. "Our total joint coach
provides one-on-one support for the patient from the time they
are scheduled for surgery through postoperative recovery."
Effingham Ambulatory Surgery Center provides care for
a range of specialties including orthopedics, anesthesiol-
ogy, ophthalmology, pain management, general surgery
and endoscopy. n
Joint venture ASC
planned in Oregon
By Patsy Newitt
W
illamette Surgery Center and Salem Health
Hospitals and Clinics are joining forces for
an ASC, the companies said Nov. 10.
The Salem, Ore.-based ASC will feature six oper-
ating rooms and house the Willamette Surgery
Center when the building is completed in the
spring of 2023.
The ASC will accommodate Willamette Surgery Cen-
ter's growth. The center performed about 400 outpa-
tient total joint replacements in 2021, compared to
254 surgeries performed in 2020 and 186 in 2019.
"Our collaboration with Willamette Surgery Center
expands on a model that delivers high quality care
and an outstanding patient experience, ensuring ac-
cess and capacity for the care our community needs,"
said Denise Hoover, chief surgical services officer at
Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics. n
16 physicians, Alabama
health system open
ASC in $33.7M facility
By Patsy Newitt
E
ast Alabama Health and a group of 16 local
physicians opened an ASC to patients in Au-
burn, Ala., the health system said Nov. 30.
The 24,000-square-foot center features four oper-
ating rooms and four procedure rooms and offers
orthopedics, ENT, plastic surgery, ophthalmology,
gastroenterology and general surgery procedures.
The ASC is a part of the Auburn Medical Pavilion
in the Auburn Research Park. The $33.7 million,
84,000-square-foot building also features a 12-bed
emergency department, an in-house pharmacy and a
breast health center. n
