Surgeons buy into outpatient facility
The recent reopening of an outpatient surgery facility at Glendale Adventist Medical Center marked the first time physicians were able to buy a stake in a surgery center in conjunction with the hospital.
The Physicians Adventist Surgery Center establishes a joint owner partnership between surgeons and the hospital, a relationship one of the site’s managers is optimistic will work well.
“It has great meaning because [the physicians] are very local to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, so it makes sense for them to buy into something they believe in,” said Christine Pierce, business operations manager of the facility.
The surgery center first opened in 2008 and was previously known as the Ambulatory Surgical Center, where visitors could undergo various outpatient surgeries for orthopedic, podiatry and other medical needs.
The reopening also saw the addition of more physicians to the center, bringing the doctor staffing level to 46 — 21 of whom bought into the partnership.
Added services include ophthalmology and minimally invasive spine surgeries, Pierce said.
“This is a unique joint venture since it includes a diverse group of world-class surgeons in partnership with a renowned medical center,” said Kevin Roberts, president and chief executive of Glendale Adventist, in a statement. “We are honored to join forces in providing convenient, high-quality outpatient surgery, next to a full-service hospital.”
Along with the partnership came the announcement that ASD Management, a third-party firm, was hired to oversee the day-to-day operations of the renamed surgery center.
“The physicians didn’t want to be the sole manager and the hospital doesn’t need to be the sole manager, so they brought in a third-party management company [which] has all the years of experience of running this kind of joint venture,” Pierce said.
The 15,000-square-foot surgical center has four surgical suites, one general procedure room, two private recovery rooms and a patient-and-family reception area.