We are happy to announce that two of our local hospitals, Frisbie Memorial and Wentworth-Douglass, will be constructing Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) in the near future.

ASCs are modern health care facilities that provide same-day surgical care. Because they focus solely on surgery, ASCs are known to provide outstanding quality with higher satisfaction and lower costs than traditional hospital-based outpatient surgery departments.

ASCs are increasingly becoming the first choice for many patients who value convenience, cost savings, and access. While most of our patients are qualified to undergo surgery at an ASC, due to medical conditions or available equipment, some are not. The surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgery center must all approve each patient.

Some examples of orthopedic procedures that can be done at an ASC include:

• Arthroscopy and open procedures of the knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow and hip
• Fracture and tendon repairs
• Foot surgery
• Achilles tendon repair
• Hand surgery including carpal tunnel release and trigger finger surgery

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital plans to build their ASC across the street from our office in Somersworth and to be operational early-mid 2014. Frisbie Memorial Hospital intends to construct a larger center near the Rochester airport scheduled to open sometime in 2014-2015.

If you have questions, you can call our office or speak to your surgery scheduler.

Read more about Wentworth Surgical Center in this article published in Foster’s Daily Democrat.