Several surgeons from independent practices in Erie County, N.Y., signed hospital agreements while awaiting state clearance to reopen their facilities, according to the Buffalo Business Journal.
Four things to know:
1. Most hospital-owned ASCs in Erie County received waivers to resume elective surgeries in early to mid-May. The county's independent ASCs didn't receive the same authorization until June 3.
2. Lockport, N.Y.-based Eastern Niagara Hospital secured five new agreements with orthopedic, ophthalmology and plastic surgeons during the standstill, President and CEO Anne McCaffrey told the Buffalo Business Journal.
3. The delay in reopening frustrated independent ASC operators whose backlogs were mounting. Amherst, N.Y.-based Excelsior Orthopaedics has more than 4,000 cases on hold, CEO David Uba told the Buffalo Business Journal. Excelsior's Buffalo Surgery Center has delayed 200 colonoscopy screenings per day over the past 10 weeks.
4. The state hasn't provided a clear explanation as to why there was a prolonged wait for independent practices.