New outpatient and breast imaging centers lead Jacksonville area's Healthful News

Baptist Health has partnered with Raleigh, N.C.-based Compass Surgical Partners to launch a network of independent, full-service ambulatory surgery centers in Northeast Florida.

The first of the Horizon Surgery Centers is to open in early February at Baptist Medical Center Beaches in Jacksonville Beach. The center will offer outpatient surgical specialties including orthopedics, neurosurgery, plastic surgery and general surgery.

Another center will follow later this year at Baptist Medical Center South, and more are planned on and off Baptist property "in the near future," according to Baptist.

The initial Horizon locations will be in modernized hospital-owned buildings "to facilitate rapid launches," Baptist said. But some of the later facilities will open through "targeted acquisitions of existing" ambulatory surgery centers.

Ambulatory surgery centers, or ASCs, provide "same-day surgical care, including diagnostic and preventive procedures," according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

"Through our collaboration with physicians, the ASCs will help us bring even more value to the community by providing patients with an option for high-quality surgery in a lower-cost setting," said Matthew Zuino, Baptist's chief operating officer.

Baptist's role in the partnership is through a for-profit subsidiary, Pavilion Health Services. Compass has developed about 250 ambulatory surgery centers in 35 states over the past 30 years, according to its website.

Another recent example opened in 2022 through another partnership, UF Health Jacksonville and Jax Spine & Pain Centers.

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The Horizon network is just one of the recent news items to highlight Northeast Florida's expanding health care industry. Here are some more:

Boutique Breast Imaging

Dr. Kathryn Pearson, a Jacksonville radiologist, has opened a new breast imaging center to provide state-of-the-art breast care, screening and diagnosis.

Boutique Breast Imaging — at 6871 Belfort Oaks Place on the city's Southside — is led by Pearson and other experienced fellowship-trained breast imaging radiologists. A radiologist's expertise is key to accurate image readings, she said.

"The quality of mammograms depends on who is reading them and how much time they have to spend with the patient," she said.

Because of a shortage of breast imaging radiologists, 60% of mammograms are read by general radiologists. They are "least likely to detect early cancers and more likely to recommend additional unnecessary recall imaging and biopsies," Pearson said. Meanwhile, health care administrators "push for high volume and cost savings that diminish the patient experience, quality and outcome," she said.

Breast imaging radiologists have additional training beyond radiology board certification. Those at the center will improve, expedite and personalize cancer diagnosis, she said.

Patients will leave "feeling they were really cared for and not just lined up through a revolving door and valued only for their insurance contract," she said. "I want to care for women like I would my own family."

Pearson has also developed nonprofit cloud storage called Mammosphere, where women can upload and exchange their breast images. The system allows doctors to see prior comparison mammograms and make a more accurate diagnosis, she said.

Ascension St. Vincent's Southside

After a trial run, Ascension St. Vincent's Southside campus has added the newly developed TOPS technology for treating back pain to its menu of treatments.

The hospital is already one of the five best spine hospitals in Florida, according to Becker's Spine Review. "We always aim to offer the most advanced care available," St. Vincent’s Southside President James Machado said. "This technology will undoubtedly improve the lives of those who seek care to alleviate back pain."

TOPS — for Total Posterior Spine System — is a "spinal implant designed to stabilize the lower spine and maintain range of motion after surgery to relieve compressed nerves," according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approved the system in 2023.

It is "an alternative to traditional fusion surgeries for patients suffering from a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back," according to Ascension. "The system allows for greater rotation, bending and extension compared to traditional counterparts and many patients find they have improved walking and movement mobility within 48 hours of their procedure."

Dr. Ali Chahlavi, a St. Vincent’s neurosurgeon, said TOPS "will significantly improve the lives of those suffering from back pain and will enhance our ability to treat the conditions associated with it."

Florida Eye Specialists

Florida Eye Specialists, which bills itself as the largest multi-specialty eye practice in Northeast Florida, is now offering a "groundbreaking" cataract adjustment procedure at its Southpoint, Mandarin and Fernandina Beach offices.

The Light Delivery Devices for Light Adjustable Lens is the only intraocular, or artificial, cataract lens that can be adjusted after surgery, allowing patients to "test drive their vision and customize their prescription to their lifestyle, just like with glasses or contacts," according to the practice.

"Our team is always staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the field of ophthalmology," said Dr. Rajesh Shetty, an ophthalmologist and CEO and managing partner. "Offering these new Light Delivery Devices is part of our commitment to delivering the highest standard of care."

Cataract surgeries are performed at the practice's Southpoint Surgery Center. Then patients return to that location or to the Fernandina Beach or Mandarin offices, where they and an ophthalmologist determine the best prescription. After a review and comparison process, the ophthalmologist uses brief and painless light treatments to "customize the photosensitive material of the lens," according to the practice.

Florida Eye Specialists has performed about 75,000 cataract surgeries.

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Baptist Health

Tammy Daniel, senior vice president and chief nursing officer of Baptist Health, has been included in Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2023 list of hospital and health system chief nursing officers to know. She was the only one from Northeast Florida.

Daniel, who is a doctor of nursing practice, has spent nearly half of her 35-year career at Baptist Health. She joined in 2007, held several leadership positions and was named to the top nursing role in 2018.

Such nursing officers led their hospitals and health systems through the COVID-19 pandemic and are now "addressing staffing shortages, managing nursing budgets and creating professional pathways for the next generation of nurses," according to Becker's. "These leaders bring a unique blend of clinical and leadership experience to their roles."

Daniel's duties include "clinical practice and safety across the system's six hospitals, focusing on quality outcomes, strategic planning, recruitment, retention, professional development, education and standardization of patient experience and more," according to Becker's.

Send health care news to bcravey@jacksonville.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville area health care growth includes new outpatient network