As the years go by, the need for surgical centers increases. According to the report published in 2017 by the Center for Disease Control, only in the United States, there are almost 50 million surgical procedures completed each year, with half of them performed in hospitals and half in Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Opening a surgery center is not only a great way of allowing patients to have easier access to surgeons but also providing an additional income for professionals.
However, building a surgery center is not an easy task. There are several things you need to consider when thinking about it, including how much money you can spend on it, as buying surgery equipment can make quite a dent in your budget. As experts from Heartland Medical notice, “New, top brand surgical equipment can be extremely expensive. If you purchase lower quality equipment, it may end up costing you more in the long run, because of maintenance issues, more frequent need for replacement, and subsequent staff retraining.”
If you want to know more about the steps you need to take in order to open your own surgery center, all you have to do is keep reading. Without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.
Consider the Location
Location is everything, and that applies to surgery centers as well. Since we live in an age when people want to have everything as convenient as possible, it’s important that you place your surgery center in the right place. There are many resources available online that you can use to determine the perfect location, including the population and healthcare coverage data provided by Census Bureau.
What’s more, when choosing a location, you should ask yourself these questions:
- Are there any other surgical centers in the vicinity that offer the same surgical procedures?
- Will your surgical center be close to or included in a medical plaza?
- How large is the population and market for the specialties you wish to establish?
- How many surgeons are there in the area that can bring existing patients to your ambulatory surgery center?
All of this should help you determine the perfect location, not only for your patients but also for your surgeons.
Building New or Renovating Old?
Once you have determined your perfect location, there is another thing you need to consider – do you want to build your ASC from scratch, or do you want to buy an already existing building and renovate it. Both options have their pros and cons, so let’s look into it a little bit more.
Building a New ASC
Building the place from scratch gives you a lot more control over how it looks like – mainly because you design everything to suit your preferences. You can make sure that the building is up to code with electrical and insulation, as well as OSHA certified.
Renovating an Old Building
When it comes to renovating an old building, one of the advantages is that installations such as plumbing are most probably already there, and, if by chance, you will be able to use the existing layout, you will be lowering the construction costs by far. Before purchasing, find out if there will be no problem with zoning the building for medical use.
ASC Equipment
After you have decided on what you are going to do, it’s time to start looking for equipment, as you need to make sure all the needs in this department are met. Keep in mind that, when looking for equipment, time will be important, as by ordering it in advance, you can not only save money on shipping but also yourself headaches caused by the equipment not being there when needed.
Once you have ordered everything, and you know when it’s going to arrive, you need to schedule a timeline for proper installation – make sure that the techs you hire all have certifications and licenses required for a medical facility. What’s more, due to licenses, the technicians should be able to help you with any paperwork regarding inspection before the opening.
The Final Steps
Before your ASC can start functioning, you will need to have a life safety inspection done, as well as obtain state licensing and any accreditation required. Keep in mind that, even though this process can last a few months, it cannot be started if your facility isn’t completed or you haven’t obtained the Certificate of Occupancy. Integrate this step into your initial timeline so that everything can go smoothly and without any delay.
The Bottom Line
Opening an ambulatory surgery center is, without a doubt, not an easy job – there are so many things that you need to take care of and make sure that they are done on time, that it can become pretty overwhelming. What’s more, besides taking care of the construction, you also need to hire the best staff: nurses, surgeons, janitors, etc. Sitting in countless interviews might not seem very exciting, but it’s something that needs to be done to find the best people for the job.
However, with the increasing demand for this type of facility, all your lost nerves should be repaid once your ASC opens. Good luck!
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