But all good things must come to an end. Local surgeons are drawn
to newer facilities, some owned by hospitals and insurers (none of
that was around in 1974!). The partnership that owns the facility, com-
prising 40 local surgeons and a financial investor, is moving most of
the cases and employees to a newer facility the partnership owns on a
hospital campus.
"There's a sense of sadness, but also a realization that it had a good
run," James Seymour, the center's administrator, tells the Florida Sun
Sentinel. "It's time to move to a newer location."
This brings us to our Lone Wolf in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an ophthal-
mologist named Lee Birchansky, MD, who doesn't know the meaning
of the word quit. After applying 5 times in more than a decade for
state permission to open an outpatient eye surgery center, Dr.
Birchansky was finally given the go-ahead. That decision came on a 3-
2 vote despite letters of opposition from five Eastern Iowa hospitals
and hospital-affiliated surgery centers. It only took him 10 years to
become an overnight success.
"My patients have been waiting for this day to come. They've been
extremely supportive and patient throughout the years," says Dr.
Birchansky.
Dr. Birchansky has tirelessly argued that certificate of need laws in
34 states stifle competition by letting hospitals and other established
healthcare centers oppose upstarts. He views CON laws as govern-
ment-imposed, artificial restrictions on the supply of medical care.
If success is getting off the mat one more time than you were
knocked down, then Lee Birchansky can raise his hands high in victo-
ry.
OSM
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 9
