If you had a hip replaced in the 1990s, you might expect to stay in the hospital for a week after the procedure. Today, with the advancements in surgical technology and anesthesia, many patients go home the same day.
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Because the Ambulatory Surgery Center is focused on outpatient surgeries, patients also often find the atmosphere to be more relaxed than that of a hospital. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
If you had your gall bladder removed, you could expect to stay in the hospital for at least 3-5 days. Now, since laparoscopic gall bladder removal is commonplace, most patients are home the same day.
Outpatient surgeries – those in which patients are sent home the same day – are becoming more and more common. In fact, according to a
2017 report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly 70% of all surgeries in the United States are performed in an outpatient setting.
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A team at the Mt. Pleasant Ambulatory Surgery Center prepares an Operating Room. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
This is why the Ambulatory Surgery Center at MyMichigan Medical Center Mt. Pleasant is such a vital regional asset. The Ambulatory Surgery Center at MyMichigan Medical Center Mt. Pleasant opened six years ago and continues to increase the number of procedures it performs, demonstrating the need for its presence in the community. The facility experienced a 10.4% increase in procedures since 2022 and a 39.4% increase since 2019 (pre-Covid). The surgeons and staff there focus solely on outpatient procedures, which provides a wide variety of benefits to patients—including convenience of care and cost savings.
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The inside of a Procedure Room at the Mt. Pleasant Ambulatory Surgery Center. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
“Prior to the Ambulatory Surgery Center opening, our surgeons would take cases to Alma and Clare, which are still great options—and for some patients still the right option—but, having the surgery center here provides another opportunity, another location within the region for patients to choose to have their surgical procedures,” says Jennifer Marar, Director of Operations at MyMichigan Medical Center Mt. Pleasant. “This sometimes allows patients to get in sooner. It also provides flexibility for patients who live here in Isabella County—it's closest to home for them to get their care.”
Additionally, by being nestled within MyMichigan Medical Center Mt. Pleasant, patients who have procedures done at the Ambulatory Surgery Center experience a “one-stop-shop” of sorts for their care. Patients can get lab work done, X-rays, pre-op testing, and see a physical therapist all at the same building.
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“When you look at Mt. Pleasant as a community, we want it to be thriving. We want it to be the place that people want to come and live because they don't have to go out of town or more than 20 minutes away to get the care that they need,” says Marar. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer / Epicenter)
“For some patients, every single thing can be done right here in this facility and they don't have to navigate trying to go to multiple locations or going across town from one facility to another,” says Marar. “It really provides a smooth experience for them.”
Having convenient access to physical therapists has been particularly helpful for patients who have joint replacements, says Bobbie Gross, Administrator, Director of Nursing at Mt. Pleasant Ambulatory Surgery Center.
“That physical therapist comes right down to our recovery room to see patients and give them a final evaluation before they go home - and that's such a convenience for the patient,” she says.
Because the Ambulatory Surgery Center is focused on outpatient surgeries, patients also often find the atmosphere to be more relaxed than that of a hospital, and the scheduling is more predictable.
“It’s less intimidating than a hospital,” says Marita Hattem-Schiffman, PresidentFACHE, C.P.M.S.M., R.Y.T., President of MyMichigan Medical Centers in Alma, Clare and Mt. Pleasant. “You walk in the door and you immediately feel like you’re in a warm environment.”
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A surgical technician prepares an Operating Room at the Mt. Pleasant Ambulatory Surgery Center. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
Additionally, because the Ambulatory Surgery Center doesn’t do emergency surgeries, patients don’t need to worry about their procedure being “bumped” for something more urgent.
Patients receiving care at the Ambulatory Surgery Center also often experience cost-savings that they wouldn’t in a hospital.
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Outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, the Ambulatory Surgery Center at MyMichigan Medical Center performs a wide variety of outpatient surgeries. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
“Overall, costs are less expensive in an Ambulatory Surgery Center because the overhead doesn't have to include the Emergency Department and inpatient infrastructure. Those are some of the most expensive parts of healthcare,” explains Hattem-Schiffman. “When you have surgery in a hospital, part of what you're paying for is the overhead for the whole facility. When you have surgery in an Ambulatory Surgery Center, since it's all outpatient-based, you don't have that whole hospital overhead as a part of the cost structure. As a result, it tends to be less expensive; and, often people will find that their insurance plan will provide them better coverage if they have a surgery in an outpatient surgery center.”
With all of that said, there are certainly times when a traditional hospital setting is the appropriate place for patients to receive their procedure—and that’s why it’s important for the region also has MyMichigan Medical Center Clare and MyMichigan Medical Center Alma close by for patients who need care there.
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“Overall, costs are less expensive in an Ambulatory Surgery Center because the overhead doesn't have to include the Emergency Department and inpatient infrastructure. Those are some of the most expensive parts of healthcare,” explains Hattem-Schiffman. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer / Epicenter)
“Having the Ambulatory Surgery Center, anchored by two full-service hospitals with surgeries, ensures that whatever is going on with a patient we can get them to the right setting for the care they need,” says Hattem-Schiffman.
She adds that MyMichigan Health is dedicated to making sure all of its facilities in the region – and across the state—provide state-of-the-art care for their patients. As such, locals can expect to see some updates in the region in the near future.
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“State-of-the-art care is available right here within our tri-counties,” says Jennifer Marar, Director of Operations at MyMichigan Medical Center Mt. Pleasant. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
“We need to have contemporary facilities that have the ability to evolve as technology innovates and you just can't do that in old facilities any longer. That's why we’re replacing all of our operating rooms and all of our procedure rooms in Alma. That will all be done soon and we'll start doing surgeries in our new operating rooms in Alma in November,” says Hattem-Schiffman. “The Operating Room portion of the Clare hospital is actually pretty new, but we recently announced that we are going to replace that entire facility. It's really important to MyMichigan Health that there's multiple access points for state-of-the-art surgical care.”
She says that, though it too is relatively new, the Ambulatory Surgery Center has also adapted since its been open as the volume of surgeries has grown.
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According to a 2017 report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly 70% of all surgeries in the United States are performed in an outpatient setting. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
“The state of Michigan is called a Certificate of Need state. For certain things in healthcare, you have to prove you have the volume and need, and then the state approves you building something,” she explains. “When we started building the Mt. Pleasant Ambulatory Surgery Center, it had one operating room and two procedure rooms. Then the volume got to a point where we could show the state that we needed to do some construction and change a procedure room into an operating room.”
She explains that procedure rooms are used for things that require moderate sedation, such as a colonoscopy or cataract surgery—operations that aren’t as risky; while an operating room needs to be perfectly sterile and is used for operations that open the skin.
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A team at the Mt. Pleasant Ambulatory Surgery Center prepares an Operating Room. (Photo: Gabrielle Haiderer/Epicenter)
At the end of the day, the benefits and convenience of the Ambulatory Surgery Center, combined with the care at Medical Centers across the region, come down to one thing: exceptional medical care is in your backyard.
“State-of-the-art care is available right here within our tri-counties,” says Marar. “Although Mt. Pleasant has that wonderful small-town appeal, we’re still delivering the exceptionally high-quality care you’d find in a larger metropolis. When you look at Mt. Pleasant as a community, we want it to be thriving. We want it to be the place that people want to come and live because they don't have to go out of town or more than 20 minutes away to get the care that they need.”