Outpatient surgery centers are well-suited for a post-COVID-19 world, Thomas Vikoren, MD, told the Bucks County Courier Times.
Four things to know:
1. Dr. Vikoren and his partners opened an ASC called Bucks County Surgical Suites last year in Warrington, Pa. There, they perform same-day surgeries such as total joint replacements.
2. ASCs performing same-day total joint replacement have been "made all the more important by the recent coronavirus epidemic," Dr. Vikoren said in an interview with the Bucks County Courier Times.
3. Bucks County Surgical Suites temporarily closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it reopened in May with new protocols. All 30 employees, staff and surgeons must be tested for COVID-19, along with any patients planning to visit the center. Appointments are spaced throughout the day and evening to allow for social distancing.
4. Although patients are increasingly seeking care in low-risk settings, according to Dr. Vikoren, some may defer surgeries because of COVID-19.
"People are putting things off, and many of these conditions grow worse with time if they're not addressed," he said.