MSC celebrates 30 years of service

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When most of us reached 30 years old, we still considered ourselves “young.” But, when MedStar Surgery Center, formerly known as the Center for Ambulatory Surgery, Inc., (CASI), turned 30 in December, it became one of the oldest freestanding multi-specialty ambulatory surgery centers in the country.

When the founders opened their doors in 1977, they knew that they were making medical history. At that time, only a few ambulatory facilities existed and they were all located in a suburb of a major city. MSC became the only ambulatory surgery center to operate in an urban setting. They also became the only center to be owned and operated by people other than the surgeons who worked there. That meant that MSC was able to offer surgeons the opportunity to refer patients to a fast and patient-friendly alternative to surgery without the administrative and customer service issues that come with ownership. It also offered patients the opportunity to save 40 to 60 percent when compared to having their surgery in the hospital.

Today, more than 100 MedStar Surgery Center physicians perform approximately 6,000 operations a year in the areas of:

Gastroenterology (GI) General surgery Gynecology Ophthalmology Orthopedics

Otorhinolaryngology Pain management Plastic surgery Podiatry Urology

They also have a full-time staff of board-certified anesthesiologists and a superb nursing staff with extensive operating room and recovery room experience.

And, the practice has grown to include five surgical suites, two gastroenterology (GI) suites and a urology suite, each equipped with state-of-the-art surgical equipment. MSC is also Medicare-certified and accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

Expert physicians, state-of-the-art facilities and a penchant for futuristic thinking gained MSC a local and national reputation not only as a leader, but also a pioneer in ambulatory surgery — and an asset to the MedStar Health family.