By Clyde Noel

Surgery at El Camino Hospital is performed for various needs. When patients don’t require admission to the hospital, but need a surgery in a fully equipped operating room, they can go to the El Camino Surgery Center (ECSC).

“Ambulatory surgery centers like ours are smaller and more service-oriented than traditional hospital surgical rooms,” said Julie Butner, executive director. “People have a choice when planning surgery; we are a more cost-effective option.”

El Camino Surgery Center has been open since 1991 in the Willow Pavilion. It offers a variety of procedures such as arthroscopy, colonoscopy, foot and hand surgery, eye, ear, nose and throat surgeries. Last year, more than 8,000 procedures were completed in the facility. The medical staff consists of physicians who practice at the El Camino Hospital.

For many people who have experienced impersonal and inflexible health care services in the past or suffered long waits, centers like ECSC are a welcome resource. Patients arrive on the day of the procedure, have the surgery in a fully equipped operating room and recover under the care of the nursing staff.

“I’m a registered nurse and I am concerned with the quality of the patient’s nursing care,” said Butner. “We document our quality in numerous demonstrable ways including a patient and physician satisfaction survey.”

In both the in-hospital and outside surveys since August 2000, patient satisfaction remains above 98 percent. Asked if they would return, 99 percent said they would.

“The main hospital uses the ECSC as a benchmark to start their own survey,” said Kelly Hanna Ramos, project coordinator. “Surveys show patients seem to experience less pain and less risk of infections when they are only here a couple of hours.”

ECSC is a joint partnership with El Camino Medical Ventures Inc. and a member of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (ASC). In 2002, the majority of the procedures performed in ACSs were either ophthalmology or gastroenterology. Nationally renowned eye surgeon Dr. David Chang uses the facility constantly.

It should be noted what the center is not. It is not an urgent care center or a health clinic that provides diagnostic or primary health care. The center only treats patients who have already seen a health care provider and selected surgery as an appropriate treatment.

Medical Director Ray Brizgys reported that more and more people are using the facility; 2002 was a record year in terms of caseload with 8,307 procedures.

“We are able to do this because major advances in medicine and technology have enabled many surgical procedures to be performed on an outpatient basis,” said Butner. “Pharmaceutical changes also allow for quick recovery for anesthesia outpatients.”

“A good way of looking at the goal for outpatient surgery is a timely discharge to their home with a minimum risk of unexpected events,” Brizgys said. “Every patient should make arrangements to have transportation home with a responsible adult and the nurses are expected to confirm this.”

Recently ECSC had a makeover. The goal of the renovation was to make the center more comfortable. New furniture in the reception room creates a warm and relaxing environment for physicians, patients and staff. The pediatric room features a wall mural that comes alive with Winnie the Pooh to comfort small patients and their parents prior to surgery.

Since 1982, when Medicare began paying for surgeries in surgical centers the program has saved money for the patients because they are typically less expensive than when performed in a hospital.

Not only does the Medicare program pay more for hospital procedures, but Congress is presently debating a major Medicare reform bill which includes cuts that could result in higher costs for Medicare patients and decreased access to the kind of quality care these centers deliver.

For more information about ECSC, call 988-7909 or logon to www.ecsc.com.