Skyway Surgery Center, an ASC in Chico, Calif., is asking the community for help staying open amid financial challenges that could force its closure, KDRV reported Sept. 4.
The ASC has operated independently since opening in 2004 and has three operating rooms and two procedure suites, performing orthopedic, dental, women’s health and gastrointestinal procedures, among others, according to the report.
Ray Yip, MD, Skyway’s medical director, said insurers favor ASCs for their lower costs and reduced infection rates compared with hospitals. Doug Matthews, MD, a colorectal surgeon at Skyway, said the center’s smaller footprint and leaner staffing let it operate on a slimmer margin.
Dr. Yip and Dr. Matthews said growing hospital consolidation is squeezing the ASC’s patient volume, as larger health systems increasingly require physicians to operate exclusively in hospital operating rooms. They are urging patients and physicians to request procedures at ASCs.
Skyway has a management meeting scheduled for next month, and the ASC could eventually close if patient volume doesn’t recover, according to the report. Dr. Yip said a closure would hit the community hard, particularly as nearby hospitals face closures or overcrowding.
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