Ahead of the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board's March 5 decision on Quincy (Ill.) Medical Group's proposed $19.5 million ASC, Tanya Mero, MD, penned a letter to The Herald-Whig explaining the project's merits.
Four takeaways:
1. QMG physicians decided to move forward with the standalone ASC project after rejecting Quincy-based Blessing Hospital's proposal to instead make QMG physicians minority owners in the hospital's surgery center.
"The decision to move forward with this project was made after considerable research and heartfelt consideration," Dr. Mero said. "Conversation and ongoing efforts with Blessing Hospital failed to bring us to the best solution, so QMG physicians elected to propose another option for our patients."
2. QMG doesn't believe its proposed surgery center will impair Blessing's ability to provide inpatient psychiatry and emergency services, Dr. Mero wrote.
3. The proposed ASC would benefit patients in terms of cost, scheduling flexibility, convenience and personalized attention, according to Dr. Mero. She said the existing hospital-based ASC in Quincy "is not financially feasible for many patients."
4. Dr. Mero noted that "the development of the surgery center was never meant to pit one entity against another." Rather, she said, it was motivated by patient needs.