LONDON, Ontario - London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is pleased to announce its new Surgi-Centre, which opened in early 2020 across from Victoria Hospital on Baseline Road, has completed more than 100 surgeries.
Currently focusing on orthopaedic and sports medicine surgeries that are low-risk, the Surgi-Centre model enables lower complexity procedures to be successfully performed, improving patient experience, efficiency, and reducing cost by streamlining processes, equipment and staff.
"We are excited to be able to provide this new level of care for our patients," says Dr. Paul Woods, President and CEO of LHSC. "This strategic investment is helping ensure we deliver exceptional quality and safety for our patients, while simultaneously gaining efficiencies and strengthening value for our hospital."
For patients like Lawrence Jardine who was the one hundredth patient to undergo surgery at the Surgi-Centre, the experience was positive. "The staff and physicians were very friendly, informed and compassionate," Jardine says. "I never felt like I wasn't part of the process. It was great." Jardine underwent a fusion of the joint in his big toe in early July.
LHSC has been working on this pilot project for more than five years. Led by Dr. Abdel-Rahman Lawendy, an orthopaedic surgeon, the Surgi-Centre pilot project has shown improved efficiency, patient experience and outcomes. It also means the cost for completing a surgery in these dedicated operating rooms (OR)s is lower than the cost for surgery in the hospital's main OR.
"Having dedicated high-efficiency ORs to perform quality of life procedures is giving us the opportunity to help patients without the worry of having to reschedule because of an emergency operation," Dr. Lawendy explains.
Patients deemed "low-risk" by their surgeon can have foot procedures, ankle, hip and knee arthoscopies, and ACL repairs performed at the Surgi-Centre. The type of surgery and the patient's health criteria for surgeries to be performed in the off-site operating room are stringent to ensure patient safety.
As a patient, Jardine was impressed by the whole experience from the ease of finding the location, quick reception and registration to the level of communication and team work that he witnessed among all the staff and physicians at the Surgi-Centre.
"The new site is very efficient, professional, well organized, and a simplified way to do less complicated surgeries," explains Jardine. "It's a great boon for patients, staff and physicians."
The Surgi-Centre is helping LHSC to improve the value of services provided to patients.
Dr. Lawendy and Lawrence Jardine are available from 9:00 am - 10:00 am on Thursday, July 30 for media interviews. Please contact Erinor Jacob-Levine to book an interview time.
About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been at the forefront of medicine in Canada for 145 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children's Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, the Kidney Care Centre, two family medical centres, and two research institutes - Children's Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 75 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital's nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca
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For media inquiries contact:
Erinor Jacob-Levine
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, ext. 55721
Erinor.Jacob-Levine@lhsc.on.ca
After-hours assistance:
Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communicator on-call.
