COVER STORY


past October, we performed 14 cases across a mix of different specialties, orthopedic cases, gynecology proce- dures and spine pain injections,” says Diane Lampron, RN, director of oper- ations for Pinnacle III and administra- tor of Peak One. Pinnacle III manages the ASC. “We ran two ORs and a procedure


room,” Lampron says. “Each room had two ASC staff and an anesthetist, and we staffed our recovery room. In total, approximately 20 people volun- teered this past year.”


The patients are chosen through the Community Care Clinic, next door


to the ASC, Lampron says.


“They select the patients for initial consideration. The surgeons then de- cide what surgery is appropriate for each individual,” she explains. “Final selection is based on the patients’ fi- nancial needs as well as the urgency at which the procedure has to be done. The ASC coordinates all the proce- dures and supplies the OR/procedure room, staff and materials necessary to successfully complete each case.” Peter Janes, MD, president of the


board of the ASC, came up with the idea of the Summit Community Sur- gery Day approximately four years ago. “He’s very active in the local community and participates


in in-


ternational relief efforts that provide charity care,” Lampron says. “He identified the need for free surgery, which presented an opportunity for Peak One to give back to the commu- nity. Dr. Janes has been with the ASC since its inception in 2005 and was one of the key people in getting the ASC open.”


The patients are extremely grate- ful after their surgery, Lampron says. “They are beaming at the end of the day. The employees are happy to be involved in the process and willingly volunteer their time to give back to the community.


It is also rewarding for everyone involved.”


For more about the charitable care and other free and reduced cost services that ASCs provide, see www.ascassociation.org/charitycare.


Eye Associates of Boca Raton, Boca Raton, Florida Eye Associates of Boca Raton con- ducts its Gift of Sight program every year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiv- ing. “We work with a local charity clin- ic, Caridad Clinic, which takes care of migrant workers and the working poor who can’t afford health insurance,” says Howard Goldman, MD, chief ex- ecutive officer of the Eye Associates of Boca Raton. “They send us consults and eye surgeries that they can’t han- dle on site. They have surgeons, mostly retired ophthalmologists, there. We do 20 to 22 cases that one day and cover all costs.” This year marks the fifth year that


Eye Associates of Boca Raton, which is co-owned by AmSurg and local phy- sicians, has offered its Gift of Sight program. “Our five surgeons, all of our RNs (4 to 5), and the two scrub technicians at the surgery center join in,” Goldman says. “Our two anes- thesiologists, doctors Steven Kiffel


and Michelle Dresner, provide service without charge as well. The Caridad Clinic sends the patients to us to exam- ine before surgery, and we see them the day after surgery. Then they go back to Caridad for the balance of their post- operative care.”


Some of the patients speak English, and the surgery center has translators for the ones who don’t. Some of the pa- tients speak only Creole and Spanish. “It’s a good feeling, obviously, to restore vision,” Goldman says. “These are folks who don’t have regular care, so when they come to us, they are blind. And then, after surgery, they can see! They can see their children, their grandchildren, and they are joyous.” Goldman also has been doing char- ity care with Surgical Eye Expeditions, based in California, for many years. “1981 was the first time I went on a mission overseas. I’ve been to Jamaica, Mexico, Guyana, Panama and Ecuador with them. Since September 11, 2001, it’s been hard to send surgeons over- seas with something like 60 boxes and trunks of equipment. We developed this program recently, and I’m glad we are doing this in the US. We also realize there are many people who make this possible other than us. It is the equip- ment, the staff and everyone that comes together that make it successful.”


ASC FOCUS JULY 2013 13


PHOTO COURTESY OF PINNACLE III


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