COVER STORY
M
ost of John Blanck’s work as senior vice president of opera-
tions for Surgery Partners in Kansas City, Missouri, focuses on ophthal- mology, which he says is primed for steady growth. “The demographics continue to be
very positive for ophthalmic ASCs,” Blanck says. “The aging population is not going to slow down.” Everyone who lives long enough will get a cat- aract. In addition, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and other glaucoma procedures are becoming more prevalent, he says. “Conserva- tively, we anticipate that cataract and ophthalmic surgery volume for ASCs will increase at 3–5 percent annually.” If you are thinking about building an ophthalmic ASC, that is good news. For new centers to reap the benefits of this sustained volume growth, Blanck says
Conservatively, we anticipate that cataract and ophthalmic surgery volume for ASCs will increase at 3–5 percent annually."
— John Blanck, Surgery Partners
developers will need to proceed with caution. “It is a big investment to build a new ASC and there is a lot of risk. Well- run ophthalmic ASCs can generate a nice return on investment (ROI), but to do so, all aspects of the project must be done well, from the volume, legal doc- uments and layout/buildout to clinical, operations, payer contracts and more.”
16 ASC FOCUS OCTOBER 2020 |
ascfocus.org
In 1997, John “Kelly” Clayton, admini- strator of Southwest Surgery Center in St. George, Utah, oversaw the build- ing of his first ASC. In 2019, he over- saw the building of his second ASC. If he ever needs to build a third ASC, he knows one of the first steps he will take: hire an experienced consulting firm. “They are not inexpensive, but they bring the knowledge and skills that will help you through the entire pro- cess, from feasibility to financing, architectural design input, construc- tion monitoring and finally through your accreditation and Medicare sur- veys,” Clayton says. “A good consult- ing firm will also help keep you from making costly mistakes. Make sure the firm you hire has a great deal of expe- rience with ophthalmic ASCs and take the time to check their references.” Ophthalmic surgeon Chad Betts, MD, medical director and owner of Northwest Arkansas Surgery Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has similar advice concerning choosing an archi-
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