Outpatient surgery center planned for Silverdale

Within a year, a new outpatient surgery center is expected to open in the Clear Creek Professional Building.

A joint venture of Kitsap Outpatient Surgeons and Harrison Medical Center, the facility will be part of the complex now under construction on Levin Road, which also will house physicians’ offices.

Kitsap Outpatient Surgeons, a group of three ophthalmologists and two anesthesiologists, is splitting ownership of the Surgery Center of Silverdale 70-30, the smaller fraction taken up by Harrison.

“Our commitment is beyond financial,” said Harrison spokeswoman Patti Hart. “It’s also that several of our administrators will serve on the board of this new partnership and the surgery center and will take part in the governance of the organization.”

The center will offer procedures in ophthalmology, general surgery, ENT (ear, nose and throat), podiatry and reconstructive/plastic surgery, Hart said.

The idea for the new center originated about two years ago when Kitsap Outpatient Surgeons formed. The three ophthalmologists in the group, Drs. Eric Cole, Todd Schneiderman and Jason Cheung, perform a lot of outpatient surgery, said Dr. Blake Reiter, anesthesiologist and president of Kitsap Outpatient Surgeons. The four physicians and Dr. John Kerrigan, the second anesthesiologist, wanted a surgery center in what they saw as “the emerging center of healthcare in the county,” Reiter said.

“One of our ideas (was), we thought we could provide a venue for outpatients that’s more central to the county,” he added.

With a location that’s central and convenient to access — close to the highway — the physicians say they expect to serve patients from as far away as Bainbridge Island, Port Orchard and Gig Harbor.

“I can’t wait,” Cole said. “We’re all really excited. Surgery centers are by nature far more efficient and convenient than hospitals. It is a much better experience for patients and doctors.”

Harrison does offer outpatient surgery services and thus the role of the new center is a complimentary one to the hospital.

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