Providence eyes Valley surgery center

PALMER — Providence Alaska is seeking state approval to build a surgical center, likely as part of the collection of medical buildings surrounding Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Bruce Lamoureux, chief executive for the Providence Alaska Region, said that the first step was to submit what’s called a “certificate of need application,” something required of projects over $1.35 million.

“So projects that are at that level of potential cost or greater require the health care provider to secure approval from the department of health and social services here in Alaska to proceed with the implementation of such programs,” he said.

The state does that, he said, to make sure big projects don’t go unused.

“The reason for that is to attempt to make sure that there is somewhat of a match between the need for services and the provision of those services in order not to build undue redundancy in the health care resources,” Lamoureux said. “It’s a way to manage health care related construction and major projects.”

If the project clears the certificate of need process, it moves on to public hearings and then to construction. Lamoureux said they might lease space rather than build a new one. Wildly optimistic projections would put construction in summer of 2013, realistic projects in spring of 2014.

He said that the data seem to show that this size facility — three pre-operation rooms, seven post-operation rooms and two operation rooms — will be necessary in the Valley in the next few years.

“The area of question for us is where the data may not be as current as the available resources in the community. So that’s where the department of health and social services will conduct its own independent analysis of demand and supply,” Lamoureux said.

There are currently similar kinds of facilities in the Valley. But what Providence would be offering are so-called out-patient procedures that don’t require people to be admitted and pay for a hospital stay. But unlike those facilities, Providence’s would be a Class C facility, a step up in terms of the complexity of procedures that can be performed there.

“In a Class C you can perform a full anesthesia and recovery of that patient. In Class B environments, you’re not able to do the same complexity of patient anesthesia and, consequently, with the deeper or more complex anesthesia you can do some procedures that are a little bit longer, a little more complex and require a recovery accommodation,“ Lamoureux said.

He said he thinks that this type of facility could be beneficial. For one thing, it’s cheaper to have procedures done at an out-patient surgery center rather than a hospital. And, for another, he said he thinks people without health insurance will be able to use it.

“That’s not to say we’re going to see all patients regardless of ability to pay without boundaries, but we anticipate being able to do more of that, and that becomes relevant within the Mat-Su Borough,” he said. “It’s our understanding that nearly 25 percent of residents may not have health insurance.”

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.