New Ambulatory Surgery Center Opens At Houston Medical
Houston Healthcare opened its new 17,242-square-foot, multi-specialty Surgery Center on the campus of Houston Medical Center.
The $7.5 million facility, designed with patient friendliness and convenience in mind, includes three general operating and two endoscopy rooms, providing Houston Medical Center with the capability to handle an increasing load of outpatient surgery volumes. Over the past five years, the volume of outpatient surgery cases has increased by 44 percent. In 2004, more than 85 percent of all surgeries performed at Houston Medical Center were on an outpatient basis.
“Our operating rooms and endoscopy suites are currently operating at optimal capacity, and our Surgery Department is located in an area within the hospital that cannot be expanded or reconfigured without disrupting services,” explained Frank J. Aaron, CEO of Houston Healthcare. “After much review, the Hospital Authority and Administrative staff determined that the best alternative to relieving the strain on the Surgery Department was to construct an ambulatory surgery center as the least disruptive approach towards meeting future growth and diminishing current scheduling problems. With the continued growth in our county, we anticipate our surgery volumes to continue to increase. We believe that this center is the best approach to meeting potential future demand, and will also be convenient and more accessible for our patients.”
According to Tracy Erwin, RN, Director of the Surgery Center, the state-of-the-art facility meets the needs of patients requiring outpatient surgery who are healthy and do not need to be admitted to the hospital. “We offer various types of surgery from ENT to gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics and some general procedures. Patients can expect to have their surgery, recover for a few hours and be back on their way home,” she added.
Erwin and a staff of 28 employees are working in the new facility which also includes physician consultation areas, eight pre-op areas and eight monitored recovery beds, all designed to enhance patient privacy and comfort. The lobby was planned for both adults and children in mind, with a special play area specifically for pediatric patients.