FEATURE While these reasons alone could jus-
tify the investment, there are many im- portant factors to consider in determin- ing whether a femtosecond is right for your ASC, and then which femtosecond is right for your physicians, says Helen Sikes, administrator of The Surgicare Center of Utah, an ophthalmology cen- ter in Salt Lake City that purchased the technology in early 2011. “While I think use of the laser will
eventually become standard of care, investing in the technology is not nec- essarily a wise decision for all ASCs with physicians surgery,” she says.
performing cataract Should You Invest in a Femtosecond Laser?
Before you buy, carefully consider if the technology would be a good fit for your ASC. BY ROBERT KURTZ
W
ith a purchase price of several hundred thousand dollars, in-
vesting in a femtosecond laser is not a decision ASCs should take lightly, says Louis Sheffler, chief operating officer and cofounder of ASC man- agement and development company American SurgiSite Centers in Som- erset, New Jersey.
The upfront cost for the device,
which is used for cataract surgery, is not the only cost that ASCs need to con- sider, he says. “There are staff costs and the cost of disposables to consider. Pro- cedures take longer, so you may need to be open more hours and there is less throughput on those procedures than when you don’t use the equipment.” Despite the significant investment, ASCs nationwide are purchasing the equipment, including SurgiSite Boston, an ophthalmology ASC in Waltham,
14 ASC FOCUS JULY 2013
Massachusetts, managed by American SurgiSite Centers. The center acquired the technology in late 2012.
“When it came to thinking about getting a femtosecond laser, it was con- sistent with the business path SurgiSite Boston has had since the first day it opened,” Sheffler says. “That is to try to get the latest, greatest and the best tech- nology in there and really be a leader in the community for this type of surgery.” The leadership team at Specialty
Surgical Center in Beverly Hills, Cali- fornia, shared the Boston ASC’s senti- ment, says Vickie Arjoyan, RN, admin- istrator and director of nursing for the ophthalmology ASC. “We wanted the laser because it was the newest, best technology and provides optimal care for the patient.” Specialty Surgical Cen- ter purchased the technology in 2011.
Assess Types of Cataract Cases One of the first steps ASCs need to take to determine whether a femtosecond la- ser could be a worthwhile investment is to assess their types of cataract cases, Sikes says. “From the perspective of Dr. Robert Cionni, one of our physician-owners, there are two types of cataract surgeons that need to be taken into consideration,” she says. “You have refractive cataract surgeons—these are surgeons who tend to use more advanced technology cata- ract lenses. In addition to using refrac- tive lenses, they are also comfortable with other elective vision correction procedures like LASIK. They work with lasers. They are familiar with how laser surgery works and all of the mechanics behind femtosecond technology. “Then, you have the more tradi- tional cataract surgeons who focus on standard cataract surgery,” Sikes con- tinues. “They are skilled in executing the mechanics of cataract surgery: all the steps, the incisions and all of the art that’s involved with manual cataract surgery, but they don’t typically use a lot of refractive lenses or technology. If I was trying to determine if this was the right purchase for my ASC, I would look at the percentage of premium re- fractive procedures you perform and then build your pro forma based on that
PHOTO COURTESY OF OPTIMEDICA
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