With rapid advancements in technology and treatment, spine surgery represents tremendous growth opportunities for outpatient surgery centers. Patients get better care, healthcare is delivered more efficiently and centers can be more profitable.

A spine program can be the heart of a surgery center. At Regent Surgical Health, we can help you develop a new center focused on spine, or we can help you develop a spine surgery program to grow your surgery center. Together with orthopedics and pain management, a spine program brings new treatments and better care to your surgery center and your community.

Step One: Find the Right People

Developing a successful outpatient spine program requires the right physicians and a strong, committed ownership structure that aims to deliver high quality care in a caring environment.

To create a successful outpatient spine program requires a strong team – the right management, great partners, the best staff and dedicated surgeons. Commitment from surgeons comfortable in an outpatient environment is critical to the success of a spine program. Today, neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons can conduct complex surgeries at an outpatient center, leading to improved quality of care, increased profitability and increased surgeon commitment to your project.

Only five percent of all spine surgeries currently are performed in an outpatient setting. This figure is expected to increase over the next five years to 300 to 400 percent due to improved technology, improved quality of care and outcomes in the outpatient environment and improved reimbursement.

Physicians intent on providing improved care, increasing patient satisfaction and developing a strong healthcare business make excellent partners for a spine-driven ASC program. Developing a staff that is committed to creating a comfortable, caring environment for the patient and helping patients feel at ease, will also increase patient satisfaction. And finding the right partners – corporate and hospital – are essential for the success of an outpatient spine program.

Step Two: Find the Right Patients and Procedures

By partnering with Regent Surgical Health, you can start and optimize a spine program quickly, providing greater benefits for your patients and increased revenue and profitability for your center.

In the past five years, medical technology has enabled spine surgeries to move to the outpatient environment. Joint replacements are increasingly common – and minimally invasive – and disc replacement can be handled productively. At one Regent center, 25 percent of one physician’s spine practice is comprised of outpatient cervical and lumbar cases – with significantly reduced patient stay at the center. (Minimally invasive technologies can reduce stays by up to 40 percent.)

Patients healthy enough for an outpatient procedure appreciate the surgery center environment, which is built around quality care and patient satisfaction. Creating a comfortable environment, developing an appropriate mix of services (including a range of orthopedic procedures and pain management) and planning for how to handle complications all contribute to developing a successful outpatient spine program that leads to the highest quality of patient care.

Step Three: Get the Right Equipment and Create the Right Environment

With the right people and the right patients in place, the right equipment can elevate a spine program to world-class status.

Developing a spine program in a surgery center is very similar to outfitting an operating room in a hospital; physicians need the latest equipment and need to be comfortable in the surgical environment. With an experienced corporate partner, you’ll be able to purchase the right equipment at favorable pricing.

Not only do physicians need to be comfortable, patients should feel important – and relaxed – in a surgery center environment. At Regent Surgical Health facilities, patient comfort is paramount, which is why our surgery centers feature warm, inviting interiors and comfortable surroundings.

“Working with Regent Surgical Health, we developed a world-class model Spine Center at Surgery Center of Reno. From minimally invasive surgery to complex spine surgery, our model covers choosing the right surgeons, staff, equipment and understanding contract negotiations. Whether you are thinking about building an ASC around spine or adding the specialty to an existing facility, the expertise of an experienced corporate partner can help you achieve the desired financial success and avoid unnecessary pitfalls.”

James Lynch, M.D.,
Director Spine Services,
Regent Surgical Health
President, Surgical Center of Reno
Chairman, SpineNevada

Step Four: Recognize Opportunities for Profitable Growth

Not all volume is good. Good management maximizes revenue by taking the right cases and contracting with appropriate insurance companies to ensure that each case is properly reimbursed. At Regent Surgical Health, we manage for profitability, and work to improve not only the quality of care but the business of care in your surgery center.

Developing a spine program at your ambulatory surgery center can be a highly profitable venture that helps patients in your community. Regent Surgical Health has the expertise and experience to help you develop a spine program that, in conjunction with orthopedic and pain procedures, elevates the overall quality and stature of your surgery center. We can also develop, from ground up, a spine-driven asc. At Regent Surgical Health, we have your back. Call on us to help you develop a successful spine program.

A Spine program can be the heart of a surgery center. Call Regent Surgical Health.