Tower Surgical Partners Opens Outpatient Centers to All Surgeons Performing Urgent, Time-Sensitive Procedures During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of the COVID-19 crisis that has caused thousands of patients and hospitals to postpone surgeries indefinitely, Tower Surgical Partners, a leader in ambulatory surgical center (ASC) development and management, announced today that it has opened its ambulatory surgery centers, called ASCs, to all physicians practicing gynecology, urology, pain management and general surgery. The ASCs are located in Rockville, MD (Innovations Surgery Center and GYN SurgiCenter) and Secaucus, NJ (Center for Modern Surgery). This is a welcome option for surgeons who can now schedule their cases for symptomatic patients suffering from conditions requiring urgent surgical care.

This decision is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that some inpatient surgeries be shifted to outpatient settings. The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association also provided guidance that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASCs should continue to allow surgeries to be performed for patients whom physicians deem "urgent and necessary." As part of this effort, Tower Surgical Partners is facilitating an expedited physician credentialing process that will take under a week to give doctors the ability to perform surgeries at these surgical centers.

"With COVID-19 sweeping the country, Tower Surgical Partners (TSP) does not want patients who require urgent surgical procedures to continue suffering from severe bleeding, pain, and progressive conditions that may force them to a local emergency room for care," said Robert Lacava, ASC Operations Lead for TSP. "Access will be made available to physicians in specialties requiring urgent surgical care for their patients. By doing this, we are hoping to play our part in freeing up critical space in hospitals so that they can focus on treating COVID-19."

TSP is fully in line with the American College of Surgeons and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists' recommendation not to delay any surgical procedure that may lead to progressive morbidity or a worsening condition over time. Both societies have indicated that surgeons should consider transferring patients to an Ambulatory Surgery Center, when possible, to allow for urgent surgical procedures to be performed safely and effectively.

Advances in technology and laparoscopic techniques, as well as a shift in surgery from the inpatient to outpatient setting, has resulted in a migration of many surgical procedures to ASCs, which allow for same-day surgeries and patient discharge. Additionally, these specialized ASCs have the demonstrated advantages of greater efficiency, safety and patient convenience, along with a higher staff-to-patient ratio and lower costs compared with the hospital-based outpatient surgery model. Additionally, there is a much lower infection rate compared hospitals with large numbers of COVID-19 patients admitted. ASCs do not have inpatient services, and do not care for COVID-19 patients.

About Tower Surgical Partners
Formed in 2015, Tower Surgical Partners is a comprehensive ASC management company with experts in site development/acquisition, legal, finance, state accreditation, policies, and operations. For more information, visit https://towersurgicalpartners.com.

SOURCE Tower Surgical Partners