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J U LY 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
A
child falls from playground equipment, a high school
athlete collides on the field, a homeowner loses his bal-
ance on a ladder. These incidents can result in broken
bones, and when they do, the first impulse is to head
for the local hospital's emergency department. But our
surgery center has discovered an opportunity to serve our community
by offering immediate care for fractures, and other orthopedic trauma
cases, with outpatient efficiency.
Expertly equipped
Adding an urgent care service to diagnose and treat fractures and
other acute orthopedic injuries on an outpatient basis was a natural
extension of what we do. Our 4-OR orthopedics and pain manage-
ment ASC specializes in sports medicine and pediatrics. We host pro-
cedures ranging from hand and wrist to foot and ankle, and from
total joint to spine. Many of our board-certified specialists serve as
team physicians for local youth athletic groups, making them trusted
members of the community.
In addition, we are equipped and ready for the task at hand. Any sur-
gical facility that has outfitted its ORs for intraoperative fluoroscopic
imaging already has the required technology for diagnosing and treat-
ing fractures. A C-arm (we have one) for imaging large sites, like the
spine, and a mini C-arm (we have two) for extremity imaging, plus
radiolucent OR tables, and you're set. Acute orthopedic injuries don't
require much more in the way of technology than that.
We regularly consult with an off-site radiologist, but since CMS has
done away with the requirement that ASCs retain radiologists on their
medical staffs, our radiology techs operate the imaging equipment and
our surgeons are qualified to read the results.
O R T H O P E D I C S
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