Spine surgeon Chukwuka Okafor, MD, is opening a surgery center this year to capitalize on the accelerating trend of outpatient migration, The Ledger reported July 6.
Four notes:
1. OSpine Surgical Center, a 5,000-square-foot facility with two operating rooms, will be behind the Spine Institute of Central Florida, which opened in 2010.
2. Dr. Okafor performs about 50 spine procedures at his office in Lakeland, Fla., and another 25 a month in the hospital setting, according to the report.
3. More than 10 percent of spine procedures were performed in an ASC in 2018, with 30 percent of procedures projected to be done at surgery centers by the mid-2020s, according to management consulting firm Bain & Co.
4. Dr. Okafor performs more complex spine surgeries at South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City and recently received privileges at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.