way access to serve the majority of our patient population. The for-
mer tenant was a major electronics distributor, so we have plenty of
remodeling planned for our contractors. If all goes according to plan,
we should have the facility up and running by early next year. I've
helped surgical practices open surgery centers around the country
before bringing my knowledge and expertise to this project. Here's my
best advice for building a spine facility with clinical efficiencies and
cost-effectiveness in mind.
1
Prepare to spend big
Opening a new spine center can be an expensive proposition.
Our move to the new space will be unique because of the
amount of renovations we have to do. We'll be opening 8 ORs and will
also be moving to 23-hour status — meaning we'll need a lot of room
for post-op recovery. When it's all said and done, the entire undertak-
ing will run several million dollars.
Considering the tools needed to do same-day spine safely and effi-
ciently, you could spend well over $1 million just on equipment alone.
Any center looking to outfit their ORs would need to invest in several
key pieces of equipment — specialized spine tables, X-ray machines
and anesthesia machines — each costing in excess of $100,000.
Likewise, a new C-arm could cost $90,000 to $150,000 and a new sur-
gical microscope will likely run you more than $100,000.
Purchasing refurbished equipment remains one cost-trimming
option, but you need to have confidence that your equipment will
withstand the rigors of a high-volume facility. Aside from the large
capital expenditures, you have to factor in the costs of the long list of
other essentials, ranging from surgical supplies like multiple sets of
power tools, light sources, spine instrumentation and patient-position-
ing equipment, to all the pre-op and post-op needs, such as vital signs
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