Hiroshi Nakano, the CEO of Microsurgical Spine Center (MSC) and NeoSpine, has been named president of the Washington Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (WASCA).

WASCA is an organization dedicated to quality care and uniting ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in the state of Washington. MSC is an ambulatory surgery center, which means MSC offers high-quality minimally invasive outpatient procedures. These procedures were previously only available in hospitals, but new techniques and innovations have brought them to outpatient facilities called ASCs.

There are over 5,000 ASCs in the United States and the number continues to grow, due to the level of care, almost nonexistent infection rate, and lower cost. The WASCA is committed to providing the ASC industry with the opportunity to join together and continue to provide quality, cost-effective care in a safe and caring environment.

Hiroshi Nakano, CEO of Microsurgical Spine Center, was recently named president of the Washington Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (WASCA) for 2014-2015.

The WASCA is committed to providing the ASC industry with the opportunity to join together and continue to provide quality, cost-effective care in a safe and caring environment.

We interviewed Hiroshi about his involvement in the WASCA – congratulations,  Hiroshi!

What made you get involved in WASCA? What does WASCA do?

[Hiroshi Nakano]  WASCA is the statewide association that represents the interests of ambulatory surgery centers. It provides to its members educational opportunities and advocates on both healthcare policy and business issues that impact ASC’s in the State of Washington. I got involved because our practice owns an ASC, and as an innovator in outpatient spine surgery and the advent of healthcare reform, it was important that the practice, and specifically, our ASC had a voice in the evolving direction of healthcare policy, both at the state and federal levels. I am very appreciative of the fact that both the docs and our partner in the surgery center, Symbion Healthcare, are very supportive of my activities as it does take time away from my main responsibility of running the practice, NeoSpine, and supporting the management of the surgery center.

What are your goals for WASCA?

HN: My goals are to continue to find ways to improve the association and provide more value to our members.

For a patient, what are some benefits of choosing an ASC?

HN: ASC’s represent a sector in healthcare that provides very focused specialty surgical care. It’s been demonstrated that a patient can experience better outcomes and lower out of pocket costs if they choose a physician that works at an ASC. For instance, ASC’s consistently have lower infection rates than hospitals. There is also the convenience and comfort of same day surgery in a facility that is specifically designed for the procedure the patient is having.

What is the future like for ASCs, will they continue to grow? What about the future for MSC?

HN: In the state of Washington, there has been continued growth in ASC’s, specifically those that are single specialty directly associated by a physician practice.  Unfortunately, there seems to be increasing pressure on multi-specialty centers as physician employment at large health systems continues to grow.  At the MSC, we believe that we have increasing value to patients, payors and employers as we move more of our procedures from the inpatient to outpatient setting thereby improving quality, clinical outcomes, and lowering the cost of care to the individual and the healthcare system overall.

Want to learn more about Microsurgical Spine Center? Contact us. Or call our dedicated Medical Concierge at 800-890-1964.