19 ASCs offering retina surgery

Here are 19 ambulatory surgery centers that offer surgical treatments for retinal conditions.  

If you would like to recommend another surgery center for this list, contact Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com

Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center (Arizona). The surgery center began offering retina surgeries in its Sun City, Phoenix, Mesa and Flagstaff locations from 1996 onwards, according to Imelda Kelly, RN, ASC director of regulatory compliance. It began offering the surgery as part of a comprehensive eye care program. Advances in technology have made it possible for ASCs to offer retina surgeries in a safe and efficient manner.  

"Retina surgery is performed safely in the outpatient setting under regional block with IV sedation. The result is improved patient care, better outcomes, and the ability to treat patients in a timely manner," she says.  

The surgery center has provided comprehensive eye care in Arizona for more than 35 years. In addition to retina surgery, the center offers LASIK eye surgery, oculoplastic surgery, bladeless cataract surgery and neuro-ophthalmology services.

Bergen-Passaic Cataract Surgery and Laser Center. According to Administrator Caroline B. Ivanovski-Hauser, the surgery center has been performing retina surgery for more than 20 years. Retina procedures currently make up approximately 12 perent of the case volume in the ASC.

"Overall retina is a good undertaking for ASCs because [those procedures are] typically high efficiency and the outcome rates result in better experiences for both surgeons and patients. As an ophthalmic ASC that has been performing retina in addition to other types of ophthalmic surgery for over 20 years, we have seen a steady increase of retina cases," she says. "Additionally, the increased retina reimbursement and advancement in technologies has had a positive impact on both time and cost per case."

Established in 1988, the surgery center is state-licensed and certified by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. The center opened a new state-of-the-art facility in 2009.  

Brecksville (Ohio) Surgery Center. The surgery center offers a wide array of retina diagnostic and treatment technologies. It offers treatment for a number of retinal conditions, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. The surgery center also offers cataract surgery and blepharoplasty. The center is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care as a level one multispecialty ambulatory surgery center. It includes eight physicians.

Brighton Surgery Center (Rochester, N.Y.). Brighton Surgery Center has been performing retina surgery since 2003. Brian Connolly, MD, Ernest Guillet, MD, Edward Hall, MD, and Steven Rose, MD, of Retina Associates of Western New York, perform retina procedures at the surgery center. "Our retina surgeons see patients in their office just down the street from Brighton Surgery Center. At times a retina patient needs to have a procedure done the same day as their office visit. The majority of the time, our surgery center is able to add these more urgent cases on to the end of our day, and the Retina Specialist will come to the Surgery Center and perform the case," says surgery center COO Michelle Lawrence-Macafee, MS, CASC. "This saves critical time for the patient and their family, and keeps them from having to navigate through a complicated hospital visit for their surgery."

Eye Center of the Carolinas (Southern Pines, N.C.). The Eye Center of the Carolinas, affiliated with Surgical Care Affiliates, has provided retina surgery for 22 years. "When I began practicing retinal surgery in North Carolina in 1983, vitreoretinal surgery was performed in the hospital OR, and patients typically remained in the hospital for several days. Carolina Eye Associates at that time performed cataract surgery at our ASC, one of the first Medicare-approved facilities on the East Coast," says Gregory J. Mincey, MD, MBA, FACS, of Carolina Eye Associates.

"Since I performed most of my surgery under local anesthesia, it was a natural transition to the ASC. By 1992, I was doing all of my surgeries in the ASC as outpatients. I recall reporting my vitreoretinal ASC experience at a national meeting and was surprised at both the support and the resistance. The advantages for a retina surgeon in our ophthalmology-only ASC are profound: I can slip in to the schedule and do an emergent retinal detachment right away without waiting until midnight to get into the OR.  Our ASC personnel are efficient, case turnover is very fast, the staff is perfectly knowledgeable about the equipment and techniques, and most importantly, the patient has a better experience."
 
Retina surgeons performing cases at the center include:

•    Arghavan Almony, MD
•    Gregory Mincey, MD, MBA, FACS

Georgia Retina Ambulatory Surgery Center (Sandy Springs). The surgery center, which is a part of the Georgia Retina practice, focuses on the treatment of diseases of the retina, macula and vitreous, including macular pucker, retinal detachment and cystoid macular edema. The center includes 11 board-certified ophthalmologists. The ASC was opened in 2010, and it has achieved a three-year accreditation by The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities.  

Inland Surgery Center, Redlands (Calif.). Inland Surgery Center, affiliated with Surgical Care Affiliates, began offering retina surgery in 2003. Since that time, the center has completed more than 3,300 retina procedures and annual volumes continue to increase.

"Inland Surgery Center has the three most important aspects of a successful retina surgery environment. First, availability where the surgery team and schedulers understand the urgent and emergent timing for retinal cases, second, cutting edge equipment that allows for the best outcomes and the most efficient surgeries and lastly, calm and intelligent staff that ease the stress of patients experiencing sudden blindness," says retina specialist John Carlson, MD.

"A successful retina program relies heavily on scheduling flexibility for last minute add-on cases. Continuous solicitation of surgeon input on equipment and improvements has been one of the most valuable parts of the process in making our program meet the needs of our retina specialists. They feel very comfortable with their surgical teams and appreciate the consistency of the staffing for their cases," says administrator Jacqueline Belcher. "Revenue has increased over the last few years; however, it is imperative that proper coding and charging for extraordinary supplies becomes part of the process in retina billing. Negotiating rates and carve outs for these procedures that include these items has made our center's retina program one of the most important in our multispecialty ASC."

Retina surgeons performing cases at the center include:

•    Richard Pesavento, MD
•    John Carlson, MD
•    Shil Patel, MD
•    Sharon Theodore, MD
•    Shahem Kawji, MD
•    Joshua Morrison-Reyes, MD
•    Michael Samuel, MD

Jacksonville Beach (Fla.) Surgery Center. Jacksonville Beach Surgery Center, affiliated with Symbion, opened in 2001. In addition to retina procedures, the surgery center offers bariatrics, gastroenterology, general surgery, gynecology, ENT, pain management, pediatrics, podiatry, lithotripsy, oral surgery, urology and vascular procedures. In 2013, the center acquired the LensX laser for cataract surgery.

Lancaster (Ohio) Surgery Center. Lancaster Surgery Center is one of five ASCs owned by the Eye Specialists of Ohio. The surgery center first began performing retina surgery in August 2012.  "Retinal surgery in our ambulatory setting offers a relaxed environment over a hospital setting. Our staff is specifically trained for the eye and is therefore more experienced with any eye procedure. Ambulatory surgery center fees are lower than hospital fees, which mean any co-insurance patients may have is also reduced," says Terry Schultz, MD, Eye Specialists of Ohio center director. Ophthalmologists Roger T. Adler, MD, and Sagar Patel, MD, perform retina surgeries at Eye Specialists of Ohio ASCs.
 
Northeastern Eye Institute Medical and Surgical Eye Care Center (Scranton, Pa.). The surgery center offers retina surgery as well as cataract, corneal and glaucoma surgery. It is a part of Northeastern Eye Institute and is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. It was established in 1985 and is the first licensed, Medicare-approved outpatient facility devoted solely to eye care surgery in the Scranton area. In addition to its physicians, the surgery center also includes specialized nurses and experienced ophthalmic surgical assistants

Ohio Eye Surgery Center (Circleville). Ohio Eye Surgery Center is one of five ASCs owned by the Eye Specialists of Ohio. The surgery center first began performing retina surgery in September 1996. Ophthalmologists Roger T. Adler, MD, and Sagar Patel, MD, perform retina surgeries at Eye Specialists of Ohio ASCs.
 
Portsmouth (Ohio) Surgery Center. Portsmouth Surgery Center is one of five ASCs owned by the Eye Specialists of Ohio. Ophthalmologists Roger T. Adler, MD, and Sagar Patel, MD, perform retina surgeries at Eye Specialists of Ohio ASCs. Physicians began performing retina procedures at the surgery center in June 2006.
 
Rand Surgical Pavilion (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). The surgery center started offering vitreo-retinal surgery in the fall 2011, according to Jacqueline Sandoval, director of community relations at Rand Eye Institute, and all retina surgeries are performed by Carl Danzig, MD.

"Results are dynamically better today and access to an ASC, especially when it's on-site, allows for a more convenient and seamless scheduling process. Consistency is key when it comes to staff members, safety standards and sterility protocols yielding the highest level of performance in a very controlled environment. Also, a more personalized approach to anesthesia administration provides our patients a quicker recovery," says Dr. Danzig.

Located within the Rand Eye Institute, the surgery center is licensed by the state of Florida, certified by Agency for Health Care Administration and accredited by the Joint Commission. The institute offers a wide-array of procedures, such as custom laser cataract surgery, no flap LASIK/LASEK surgery and custom laser vision correction surgery.

Ross Surgery Center (Chillicothe, Ohio). Ross Surgery Center is one of five ASCs owned by the Eye Specialists of Ohio, all of which offer retina surgery. Ophthalmologists Roger T. Adler, MD, and Sagar Patel, MD, perform retina surgeries at Eye Specialists of Ohio ASCs. Ross Surgery Center began offering retina surgery in June 2004.

Specialty Surgical Center – Brighton Way (Beverly Hill, Calif.). Specialty Surgery Center – Brighton Way houses three operating rooms and two procedure rooms dedicated to ophthalmology. The multispecialty center offers procedures in 12 specialties, including ophthalmology and retina procedures. The surgery center is affiliated with Symbion.

Specialty Surgical Center – Encino (Calif.). Specialty Surgery Center – Encino, affiliated with Symbion, opened in 2001. In addition to retina surgery, the center offers general ophthalmology, colorectal surgery, ENT, gastroenterology, gynecology, orthopedics, pain management, podiatry, proctology and urology procedures.

Surgery Center of Des Moines – West (Des Moines, Iowa). The Surgery Center of Des Moines – West, affiliated with Surgical Care Affiliates, began offering retina surgery in 2008.  

"Our experience with retina surgery in our ASC has been nothing short of life-changing for our group.  The location is ideal, only ten blocks down the street.  We are able to schedule cases whenever necessary, and the ASC schedulers go out of their way to accommodate us.  We can even add cases before clinic days if necessary, which is a huge help on occasion. We have our own dedicated retina OR with state-of-the-art equipment," says Dr. Christopher L. Haupert with Iowa Retina Consultants.

"The anesthesia staff is excellent and conscientious but also makes every effort to get cases done rather than postponing them.  Morale at the ASC is high, and the working environment is fantastic.  We have a lot of fun while providing top-notch retina care and our patients uniformly enjoy their experience at the center.  Moving to the ASC from the hospital was easily one of the best decisions our group has made."

"We are fortunate to have Iowa Retina Consultants providing services at Surgery Center of Des Moines.  Their expertise and level of care make it possible for our ASC to provide the highest level of clinical quality and outcomes for our retina patients. We understand the need for flexibility with emergent retina cases and being able to accommodate these cases," says administrator Kevin Hamers. "The best part is our patients are the ones who benefit the most from our strong working relationship with Iowa Retina Consultants."
Retina surgeons performing cases at the center include:

•    Christopher Blodi, MD
•    Christopher Haupert, MD
•    Todd Heilskov, MD

Virginia Eye Institute Outpatient Surgery Center (Richmond). The surgery center offers vitreo-retinal procedures as well as cataract and premium intraocular lens implant surgery, LASIK and refractive surgery and glaucoma treatments. In addition to offering ophthalmic services, the surgery center is a practice site for Virginia Ear Nose & Throat Associates. The center is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. It also includes numbers types of lasers, including the Argon and SLT lasers for treating glaucoma.

Wilmington (Ohio) Surgery Center. Wilmington Surgery Center is one of five ASCs owned by the Eye Specialists of Ohio, all of which offer retina surgery. Ophthalmologists Roger T. Adler, MD, and Sagar Patel, MD, perform retina surgeries at Eye Specialists of Ohio ASCs. Ross Surgery Center began offering retina surgery in July 2009.
 

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