Surgery center given clean bill of health

After two and a half days of shuttling their surgery patients elsewhere, The Lake Tahoe Surgery Center has been given a clean bill of health by the Nevada Department of Health Services.

A surprise survey that began Monday morning, prompted the surveyors to stop surgeries at the Round Hill center on Tuesday and Wednesday, and reinstating their surgical schedule early Thursday.

At question was a medical practice of injecting medication in a specific manner that was an acceptable protocol, but which has since been changed by the Nevada state health department.

Because of poor medical practices at a Las Vegas Endoscopy Center that has since been closed, resulting in some patients becoming infected with Hepatitis C, the state has elevated its policy and standard for the administration of injectable mediation.

"Part of the survey process was for the Nevada Health Department to educate the surgery center staff to those new standards," said Mary Bittner, Barton's Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer.

"Upon completion of survey, the Lake Tahoe Surgery Center which Barton purchased 67 percent interest in March, successfully revised their medication policies to these new standards to the state's satisfaction. LTSC always has and continues to provide excellent, conscientious care to patients," Bittner said.

"Their infection control rates are excellent and they have exceeded national benchmark standards. The recent policy improvements provides enhanced safety to all patients and now sets a best practice for the remaining Ambulatory Surgery Care Centers within the State of Nevada," she said.

Even during the couple of days when no surgeries took place there, the Lake Tahoe Surgery Center remained in compliance with all the laws and regulations and there was never any risk to patient safety nor any breach of sterile precautions.

The Nevada State Department of Health & Human Services and federal Medicare surveyors were being exceedingly cautious in light of the Las Vegas spread of infectious diseases.

"Patient safety always has been and always will be our No. 1 concern," said Barton CEO John Williams. "While we are frustrated to see these good doctors' reputations tarnished for basically no reason, we all agree that patient safety always comes first."

Friday's surgeries at the LTSC had already been rescheduled to take place at alternate locations so routine surgeries will begin as usual Monday.