Hospitals and health systems nationwide continue to lay out plans for and develop new surgery centers. Here are 10 new hospital and health system surgery center projects recently in the news.
1. Rhode Island's Kent Hospital to Build Surgery Center - Kent Hospital in Warwick, R.I., is expected to break ground soon on a new ambulatory surgery center. The ASC was one of the projects Sandra Coletta, president and CEO of Kent Hospital, was expected to highlight at the hospital's 60th annual meeting.
2. California's Palo Alto Medical Foundation to Build Outpatient Surgery Center - Palo Alto (Calif.) Medical Foundation, a Sutter Health affiliate, plans to build a new outpatient clinic in San Carlos, Calif., which will include outpatient surgery. Construction of the 192,260-square-foot San Carlos Center is expected to begin in Jan. 2011.
3. Pennsylvania's Coordinated Health Plans New Surgery Center for Smithfield Township - Pennsylvania-based Coordinated Health is planning a new surgery center in Smithfield Township, Pa. The health system is proposing a "short stay" medical surgery center; Coordinated Health has received a zoning amendment that allows inpatient and outpatient elective surgery and other medical and dental treatment.
4. Arkansas Health System Applies to Change Hospital to Surgery Center - St. Joseph's Mercy Health System, based in Hot Springs, Ark., has announced it is applying to the Arkansas Department of Health to change the licensure for St. Joseph's Mercy Health Center at HealthPark from an acute-care hospital to an ASC. The decision to apply for the licensure change is a result of a merger earlier this year between St. Joseph's Mercy and HealthFirst Physicians Group. In the merger, Mercy acquired HealthPark Hospital, which had an average daily census of only five patients. St. Joseph's Mercy can absorb these patients, making it unnecessary to keep the HealthPark facility as an acute-care hospital.
5. New Surgery Center Considered by Ohio's Kettering Medical Center - Kettering (Ohio) Medical Center is considering building a new ASC on 34 acres of property located near the hospital's main building in Kettering.
6. New Cleveland Surgery Center Planned for St. Vincent Charity Medical Center - St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland will build a new $35 million surgery center in the city. The city of Cleveland is receiving a nearly $2 million grant which will go to clearing a site for the new surgery center.
7. Ohio Joint-Venture ASC to Become Hospital-Based Surgery Center - Zanesville (Ohio) Surgery Center, currently a joint venture operation with Genesis HealthCare System and community physicians, will be restructured as a hospital-based surgery center. The facility's name will change to Genesis Surgery Center, and the goals of the center will align with Genesis HealthCare's strategic plan to improve the system's overall delivery of care.
8. New Jersey Surgery Center Opened by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, based in New Brunswick, N.J., has opened a new outpatient surgery center in New Brunswick. The new Ambulatory Surgical Pavilion is a 13,000-square-foot ASC with four ORs and an endoscopy room. It sees cases in general surgery, gynecology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, podiatric and retina-vitreous surgery, endoscopy and orthopedic surgery.
9. Catholic Healthcare West Breaks Ground on New California Surgery Center in Elk Grove - Catholic Healthcare West, based in San Francisco, has broken ground on a new surgery center in Elk Grove, Calif. The surgery center also includes an imaging center. The new facility could open by spring 2012.
10. Sutter Health to Build New California Surgery Center in Elk Grove - Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, Calif., has approved financing for a new ASC in Elk Grove, Calif. The $10.8 million surgery center is scheduled to break ground in May 2011, with completion of the facility targeted for a year later.