Summit Orthopedics’ Eagan (Minn.) Surgery Center became the first ambulatory surgery center in the U.S. to receive the Joint Commission’s spine fusion certification.
Summit spine surgeons Nick Wills, MD, and David H. Strothman, MD, discussed how the center earned the Joint Commission’s Certificate of Distinction in the Management of Spinal Fusion.
Three insights:
1. Thirteen hospital systems nationwide have received spine fusion certification, but Summit is the first ASC to do so.
“We have worked hard to set up sophisticated safeguards that deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients,” said Dr. Wills. “We offer the full gamut of exacting surgical techniques. We have also developed standardized protocols for every step of patient care. These include anesthesiology protocols that utilize multimodal anesthesia pain management and limit narcotic use. Our nursing protocols provide meticulous patient preparation, from the first preop appointment through postop recovery.”
2. In order to receive the spine fusion certification, Summit underwent a thorough review of its compliance with national standards.
3. “We did not pursue certification because we want to do more spine fusion surgeries,” said Dr. Wills.
“In fact,” said Dr. Strothman, “even when patients are referred for surgery, most of them are successfully treated with less invasive surgeries. Our surgery center offers minimally invasive lumbar decompressions, discectomies, cervical disc arthroplasty, and cervical disc replacements that maintain spine motion.”