Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center seeks to meet local needs

In early November, Providence Health and Services Alaska submitted a certificate of need application to the state of Alaska, requesting permission to create Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center, a new freestanding ambulatory surgery center. The proposed center has a project cost of $12 million, funded by Providence.

If approved, the proposed facility will be Mat-Su’s first ambulatory surgery center with Class C surgery suites, comparable to operating rooms provided in a traditional hospital. The project includes two such operating rooms supported by three preoperative rooms and seven recovery rooms. Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014 on South Woodworth Loop in Palmer, near Providence Matanuska Health Care.

As with any new project, the community may have questions about the proposed surgery center, and Providence is committed to addressing those questions. Here are a few we have fielded.

What is an ambulatory surgery center?

Ambulatory surgery centers perform short duration surgeries and allow patients to go home on the day of the surgery. In general, ambulatory surgery centers provide a more efficient and less-costly option for outpatient surgery. The proposed Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center will focus on adult and pediatric patients who need surgeries appropriate in an ambulatory surgery environment. These surgeries include orthopedic; ear, nose and throat; and general surgery services.

Why do we need an ambulatory surgery center in the Mat-Su?

Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center addresses a community need for operating rooms — we estimate that the Mat-Su needs two to four more operating rooms in the next five years to accommodate population growth and health needs. Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center also will provide the high-quality, compassionate care for which Providence is known.

Providence has served the Mat-Su area since 1999; services include family medicine, laboratory services and behavioral health. Providence Mat-Su Surgery Center will provide the community with a not-for-profit, mission-based surgery provider. As a not-for-profit, Providence reinvests in the communities it serves and provides excellent, compassionate service to all, regardless of their ability to pay.

Nearly 25 percent of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough does not have health insurance. Providence is committed to providing access to the uninsured and underinsured as part of our mission, including patients served by Medicaid and Medicare.

What is a certificate of need application?

According to the state of Alaska, the certificate of need program is a review process that ensures “rational health planning” and promotes “responsive health facility and service development.” The program is used to ensure that health care investments respond to community need.

The review process includes an evaluation of Providence’s plan and supporting data. The process also provides for a public review of the proposed project, allowing the public the opportunity to comment on the project plan. Such comments can be in written form or provided via testimony at a public hearing.

As a member of the public, especially those living or working in the Mat-Su, you are a valuable contributor to this public process. We are seeking appropriate community partnerships for this venture as well as community support.

For more information, contact (907) 212-3145, or info.phsa@providence.org.

Susan Humphrey-Barnett serves as area operations administrator for Providence Health and Services Alaska. In that role she oversees a wide range of Providences facilities and programs across the state, including critical access hospitals, long-term care, and behavioral health services.