cardiothoracic surgery that
simply didn't make sense
based on our patient popu-
lation.
Even though we're part-
ners now, that doesn't mean
we won't still compete with
the hospitals for business.
The hospitals realize, and so
do we, that every case that
they lose to a surgery center
— even though they are
partners in the surgery cen-
ter — is a hit to their bottom lines. It would not surprise me to see
hospital-employed physicians funnel select cases to the hospital's
ORs. That's just the economic reality for hospitals today.
Our hope is to continue providing high-quality, efficient services at a
lower cost. Having been born and raised in Pocatello, my goal in
founding Skyline Surgery Center was to bring low-cost medical servic-
es to the community I love. I'm happy to see this cooperation among
the 3 hospitals and the conscientious physicians, and curious to see if
this shared site-of-service model catches on.
OSM
Dr. Hope (rhope@binghammemorial.org) is past president and original
founder of Skyline Surgery Center in Pocatello, Idaho. He is an anesthesiologist
and interventional pain management specialist.
J U L Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 5
• CALM BEFORE THE STORM The ORs at Skyline Surgery Center are
going to get a lot busier after the center's partnership with 3 local hospi-
tals.
Amanda
Hope/Skyline
Surgery
Center
