Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1472295
43 43 HEALTHCARE NEWS $20M ASC moves forward despite health system opposition By Alan Condon M obile, Ala.-based USA Health on May 24 broke ground on a 25,000-square-foot surgery center in Fairhope, Ala., according to al.com. The $20 million ASC will be adjacent to a 50,000-square- foot physician office building that is expected to finish con- struction this fall. The surgery center, projected to open next spring, will comprise six operating rooms, two proce- dure rooms, 14 pre-op areas and 13 recovery rooms. Mobile, Ala.-based Infirmary Health, the state's largest nonprofit health system, is challenging the certificate of need board's unanimous decision to approve the ASC last year. Infirmary Health operates Bay Eyes Surgery Center in Fairhope and Thomas Hospital in Daphne, about 4 miles from the USA Health ASC, according to the report. Specialties that will be offered at the ASC include ortho- pedics, pediatrics, urology, general surgery, ENT and gas- troenterology. A Mako robot for joint replacement proce- dures is expected to feature at the facility. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners, which runs about 180 ASCs across the country, is a partner in the facil- ity. USA Health is finalizing how many physicians and sur- geons will work at the ASC once completed. n 400-physician practice votes to join Duke Health after suit alleging takeover By Patsy Newitt D urham, N.C.-based Private Diagnostic Clinic has voted to dissolve and join Duke Health, ending a legal dispute alleg- ing Duke was trying to take over the practice, Triangle Business Journal re- ported May 13. Eugene Moretti, MD, an anesthesiolo- gist with the 90-year-old, 400-physi- cian private practice, sued Duke Dec. 20, alleging the health system was attempting to "take over the PDC over the physicians' objections and without paying for the practice's fair value." A judge dismissed the lawsuit on May 12, and according to the Business Journal, the practice and Duke have agreed to work out a deal. The practice's board of managers passed a motion March 30 that re- quested its members' vote on a pro- posal to dissolve the clinic and create Duke Health Integrated Practice. Ac- cording to the Business Journal, near- ly 96 percent of members voted, and 75 percent voted in favor of the new entity and joining Duke. With the old clinic dissolved, there will be "no entity on behalf of which to bring the claims alleged in the complaint," the judge ruled in his dis- missal of Dr. Moretti's lawsuit. Before the lawsuit, Duke created a faculty practice and mandated that faculty in clinical departments who perform research join the group and become fully employed by July. "We are pleased that Duke physicians in the PDC have overwhelmingly en- dorsed our collaborative effort to create the Duke Health Integrated Practice within Duke University Health System," Duke Health officials told the Business Journal. n A new C-suite position is rising in popularity By Georgina Gonzalez M ore organizations are looking to consolidate the responsibil- ity for organizing and implementing strategic initiatives and transformation into one C-suite leader, the newly created chief project officer, e Harvard Business Review reported April 26. Although the titles of the roles may differ, the concept behind the po- sition is the same. e key roles included in the chief project officer job include driving strategic projects across the organization, acceler- ating growth and value creation and delivering on key company goals such as improving diversity and inclusion. e role was born out of difficulties with definitive project ownership and leadership and growth in the project creation space within orga- nizations. So far, retail business J.C. Penney has appointed a chief transformation officer; Gfinity, an esports solution provider, appointed a chief revenue and transformation officer; and beer company Heineken appointed a chief corporate affairs and transformation officer. Non-profit organizations are also looking to recruit chief project of- ficers to build structure and culture and drive success in projects. n