Image courtesy of Mass General BrighamIn February, Mass General Brigham (MGB) announced a partnership with Regent Surgical to improve access and reduce medical costs for patients in New England by opening new ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).
The partnership seeks to improve patient outcomes by providing more timely, accessible and affordable high-quality care, with a shared emphasis on investing in and supporting physicians, infrastructure and services, according to MGB.
The entity submitted a Determination of Need (DON) to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Sept. 15, indicating plans to open an ASC in Cambridge focused on endoscopy screening procedures.
The space will reportedly feature three procedure rooms and 10 pre- and post-operative bays within 6,095 square feet, at a cost of approximately $7.4 million.
The center will also enable MGB to reduce wait times for patients requiring routine and transfer screenings, which are currently conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), to a more convenient, affordable setting.
The shift of cases to the proposed ASC will increase capacity at MGH and BWH to meet emergency inpatient needs and will enhance MGB’s, the Commonwealth’s, and the national cancer screening guidelines by providing better access to endoscopy, according to an MGB spokesperson.
“Patients in the communities we serve often travel long distances and face lengthy wait times for procedures in our hospitals that are better suited to an outpatient setting,” Dr. Ron Walls, CEO of MGB, told ASC News. “With this collaboration, we are investing in our patients and our doctors, aiming to ease our capacity crisis, reduce wait times for important, low-acuity procedures, improve outcomes, enhance patient and provider experiences, and lower costs.”
A capacity crisis
Travis Messina, CEO of Regent Surgical, said MGB must expand access due to significant capacity constraints.
Massachusetts has the fourth-fewest ASCs per capita in the U.S., according to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.
“Being able to free up capacity or offer their patients an alternative to receive surgery promptly and get those patients back on the road to recovery quickly is essential,” Messina told ASC News.
MGB’s academic medical centers – MGH and BWH – have more than 25,000 patients waiting to schedule endoscopy procedures, most of whom could be treated in an outpatient setting.
Not only is this frustrating for patients, but it also delays life-saving preventative care and screening for conditions such as colon cancer.
“We know that our capacity crisis worsens when we perform services in hospitals that are better suited for a lower-cost, closer-to-home setting that an ASC provides,” Dr. Thomas Sequest, MGB chief medical officer, said. “Improving access to physician-led ASCs will support physician referrals better, reduce patient wait times for important procedures and help respond to the exceptional demand for services in our hospitals, ensuring resources are available for those who truly need them.”
Walls said MGB chose Regent because it is a highly qualified, full-service ASC operator with experience working with nonprofit health systems.
In partnering with any entity, Messina said the first thing he considers is alignment on clinical quality and the parameters surrounding clinical protocols.
“We want to make sure we’re doing the right things for patients,” he noted. “The clinical quality foundation is essential, and with a partner like MGB, they have world-class outcomes and standards of care.”
Secondly, he said, creating as much access as possible and making it relevant across as many specialties as possible is important.
“It’s something we look for because, while we do have single specialty centers, when partnering with a health system, moving more cases out of a hospital setting and into an ASC benefits the patients by increasing access,” Messina explained. “It’s lower cost and provides a high-quality experience for the patients. Ensuring a partner offers that across a broad range of service lines is important to us.”
Messina said that, first and foremost, Regent was seeking a partner in Massachusetts because the state has a low number of ASCs per capita.
“We knew we wanted to be in Massachusetts so we could provide better care,” he said. “In doing that, we wanted to ensure we had a high-quality clinical partner. Naturally, MGB was at the top of the list.”
Regarding future plans in the state, Messina said Regent is currently focused on opening the Cambridge ASC. After that, there will be an evaluation process with MGB to determine the potential for further expansion.
The opening of the Cambridge ASC is dependent upon regulatory approval and is to be determined.
