The successful launch in February of a spine program at Greensboro (N.C.) Specialty Surgical Center benefited from careful planning and close collaboration between surgeons and clinical staff and received useful advice from management partner Surgical Care Affiliates and hospital partner Moses Cone Health System.
With help from SCA and Moses Cone, the multispecialty center was able to significantly expedite the program's start date, mitigate partnering neurosurgeons' financial risk and preserve their relationship with the health system, says Brian Mathis, vice president of strategy at SCA.
Eleven neurosurgeons are affiliated with the program. Two keys to success were strategic due diligence and detailed planning, according to Debbie Murphy, administrator for the ASC. To clinically prepare for the new program, for example, the center's OR manager observed countless spine cases in the hospital, making note of patient and equipment positioning, staff roles and surgeons' preferences.
The idea for the new spine program originated two years ago in discussions between two neurosurgeons in competing practices, Gary Cram, MD, and Jeffrey Jenkins, MD. The two initially wanted to develop a new surgery center limited to spine, but upon review of their strategic options, they decided to join Greensboro Specialty Surgery Center, a 10,800-square-foot facility with three ORs and two procedure rooms, which opened in 2003.
Part of expanding SCA spine program
The Greensboro outpatient spine program has "quickly become one of the gems in SCA's expanding outpatient spine program," Mr. Mathis says. The SCA spine program today includes more than 30 facilities with more than 50 affiliated spine surgeons. SCA's guide, "The Service Line Introduction Guide: Adding Spine Cases to Your Location," provides a detailed roadmap of steps to successfully introduce spine surgery to centers, addressing facility, patient and surgeon readiness.
"We believe the outpatient spine program at the Greensboro Specialty Surgical Center will be one of the premier programs in the country," says Dr. Cram, who sits on SCA's Spine Advisory Board. "Given the eleven talented neurosurgeons affiliated with the program, the experience and quality of the surgeries performed to treat patients with back and neck pain is excellent."
Surgeons, staff and health system collaborated
The program benefited from close collaboration, deliberately and methodically planned, between the center's administrative and clinical staff and the neurosurgeons. "The mutual respect is evident in the planning and execution that goes into each surgical case," Ms. Murphy says. "It resonates with all of the staff, from the receptionist who greets the patient to the recovery room nurse who ensures the patient has clear post-operative instructions before leaving for home." Mr. Mathis says Ms. Murphy "sets the tone from the top," frequently visiting the OR to observe many of the spine cases. "This simple act conveys volumes to the surgeons of the importance of their presence and the focus on creating an exceptional environment for both surgeons and patients," he adds.
The neurosurgeons and Moses Cone Health System worked together to bring appropriate spine cases out of the hospital environment. "Removing patients from the more intensive environment of a hospital will improve their overall experience" Dr. Cram said in a press release about the opening. Jim Roskelly, executive vice president of strategic development at Moses Done, added, "The cases that will be done at the center don’t require the resources of a hospital. Moving them from Moses Cone Hospital makes it more convenient for patients. Also, it allows us to use our hospital operating rooms for higher-level cases."
Learn more about Greensboro Specialty Surgery Center.
With help from SCA and Moses Cone, the multispecialty center was able to significantly expedite the program's start date, mitigate partnering neurosurgeons' financial risk and preserve their relationship with the health system, says Brian Mathis, vice president of strategy at SCA.
Eleven neurosurgeons are affiliated with the program. Two keys to success were strategic due diligence and detailed planning, according to Debbie Murphy, administrator for the ASC. To clinically prepare for the new program, for example, the center's OR manager observed countless spine cases in the hospital, making note of patient and equipment positioning, staff roles and surgeons' preferences.
The idea for the new spine program originated two years ago in discussions between two neurosurgeons in competing practices, Gary Cram, MD, and Jeffrey Jenkins, MD. The two initially wanted to develop a new surgery center limited to spine, but upon review of their strategic options, they decided to join Greensboro Specialty Surgery Center, a 10,800-square-foot facility with three ORs and two procedure rooms, which opened in 2003.
Part of expanding SCA spine program
The Greensboro outpatient spine program has "quickly become one of the gems in SCA's expanding outpatient spine program," Mr. Mathis says. The SCA spine program today includes more than 30 facilities with more than 50 affiliated spine surgeons. SCA's guide, "The Service Line Introduction Guide: Adding Spine Cases to Your Location," provides a detailed roadmap of steps to successfully introduce spine surgery to centers, addressing facility, patient and surgeon readiness.
"We believe the outpatient spine program at the Greensboro Specialty Surgical Center will be one of the premier programs in the country," says Dr. Cram, who sits on SCA's Spine Advisory Board. "Given the eleven talented neurosurgeons affiliated with the program, the experience and quality of the surgeries performed to treat patients with back and neck pain is excellent."
Surgeons, staff and health system collaborated
The program benefited from close collaboration, deliberately and methodically planned, between the center's administrative and clinical staff and the neurosurgeons. "The mutual respect is evident in the planning and execution that goes into each surgical case," Ms. Murphy says. "It resonates with all of the staff, from the receptionist who greets the patient to the recovery room nurse who ensures the patient has clear post-operative instructions before leaving for home." Mr. Mathis says Ms. Murphy "sets the tone from the top," frequently visiting the OR to observe many of the spine cases. "This simple act conveys volumes to the surgeons of the importance of their presence and the focus on creating an exceptional environment for both surgeons and patients," he adds.
The neurosurgeons and Moses Cone Health System worked together to bring appropriate spine cases out of the hospital environment. "Removing patients from the more intensive environment of a hospital will improve their overall experience" Dr. Cram said in a press release about the opening. Jim Roskelly, executive vice president of strategic development at Moses Done, added, "The cases that will be done at the center don’t require the resources of a hospital. Moving them from Moses Cone Hospital makes it more convenient for patients. Also, it allows us to use our hospital operating rooms for higher-level cases."
Learn more about Greensboro Specialty Surgery Center.