Non-Hospital Surgical Facilities

Acumen Clinic operating in NHSF’s

We are all hearing about flattening the curve since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.  The point of distancing ourselves from others is to save our healthcare system from being overwhelmed by patients requiring advanced care.  Many people are trying to avoid hospitals and clinics for elective medical issues and using telemedicine to receive needed medical care. Even before COVID-19 became a familiar term Acumen Clinic was providing all our care in non-hospital settings, and our team has always known that staying out of hospital was appealing for some important reasons:

1. Distancing from Actively Sick Patients – At Acumen Clinic we take care of elective orthopedic surgery issues such as acute rotator cuff tears, anterior cruciate ligament tears as well as knee and shoulder dislocations and instability.  Our patients are healthy and injured. Hospitals take care of infections, chronic health issues and other serious illnesses. Our patients value separating their care from the care of patients with infections.
2. Decreasing Hospital Anxiety – Several patients have come to Acumen Clinic specifically to avoid the hospital due to the anxiety they have about hospitals themselves.  Our surgical centres in Calgary, Kelowna and Vancouver are small, intimate facilities with one-on-one care. If you have anxiety about being in a big hospital then we will do our best to give you the care experience that alleviates your fears.
3. Close supervision by Your Surgeon – With our small team on the day of surgery you can be assured that I will be one room away for any questions about post-op care.  I see all patients right after surgery and your post-op nurse has direct access to me to ensure your care is perfect.

Of course there are risks with having surgery in a non-hospital surgical centre or Surgicenter.  Our anaesthetists are top-notch and have all the tools for safely caring for you, but if there is an issue requiring admission to hospital you will need to be transferred to a hospital.  We always check on the safety of performing surgery in an NHSF before moving forward and the risk of needing a hospital transfer is extremely low. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia has some great information on the safety regulations of these facilities.

Feel free to read this article – Hospital mull restart of paused services https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-hospitals-mull-restart-of-paused-services/

We’re happy to explain more about non-hospital surgery.  Please call Acumen Clinic at 587-599-5345 to hear more about surgery at Canadian Surgery Solutions, Okanagan Health and Surgical Centre or False Creek Surgical Centre and to book an appointment with me, Dr. Jesse Slade Shantz.