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This is Scott Becker with the Becker's Healthcare
Podcast.
I I am thrilled today to have a
return guest. We're joined today by Christopher Kidd.
Chris Christopher is the chief executive officer of
the Wyatt Surgery Center. He's gonna talk to
us about specialties and what he's seeing today
in a in a lot in a lot
more.
Christopher, can you take a moment first and
just introduce yourself and and talk about the
Wyatt Surgery Center? Then we'll talk about what
specialties work, what doesn't work, and and a
lot more. Sure. My pleasure. Thank you.
So
my name is Christopher Kitson. I serve as
the CEO for the Wyatt Surgery Center and
Tucson Ambulatory Anesthesia,
and I associate to Tucson. So there are
3 kind of separate but related businesses.
That said, I have kind of been a
health system guy my entire career up until
now,
by having held kind of various
roles with MultiCare Health System, PeaceHealth, and then
here in Tucson, TMC Health.
They've been in the,
in the ambulatory services world strategy and business
development and and also in surgery centers and
joint ventures and partnerships. So kind of switched
from the,
health system side and have been working for
what is now a joint venture surgery center.
So Wyatt Surgery Center is a large 4
room ASC
located on the Tucson Medical Center campus in
Tucson, Arizona.
Up until April of last year, it was
an ophthalmology
only,
ASC owned by a single ophthalmologist.
And then in April, we syndicated ownership to
include,
the health system, so, TMC Health, as well
as,
several other surgeons of new specialties including spine
surgery,
neurosurgery,
and pain management.
Take take a moment on how do you
enjoy the surgery center world versus the health
system world?
What what what are some of your thoughts
there? Do you love this? What are your
thoughts on one versus the other? Sure. I
mean, they're they're definitely very different.
You're coming from a health system
of a background where,
there are typically more zeros in the balance
sheet and more,
any profit and loss just just based on
scale.
It's interesting in the in the ASC and
the medical group world,
in leadership, it seems to be
it definitely is easier to accomplish things. Right?
Because you can,
typically move a lot
more quickly,
but not always. I think that for me
personally,
see, I've been in this role for about
a year and a half.
So going from
18 years in Dell systems to a year
and a half in this space,
I enjoy it. I I think that, the
parts of all of my roles that I've
had that I it really I've enjoyed the
most probably is
kind of working with physicians
and,
helping
them come together
around a common goal, a common outcome.
And in this role too, I get to
work with the health system. It's actually where
I used to work. I started on the
deal that I I closed when I was
on the other side of the fence when
I was at TMC. So it it's they
both definitely have
definitely have their pros and cons. But but
it's probably nice to be in a in
a bit of
a not as huge an environment where you
could see more directly the impact from yourself
to the key performance indicators to what's going
on, and you feel very, very central to
it all. Whereas in a major health system,
it's hard to feel a central to everything
that's going on. You're absolutely right. I mean,
I was oftentimes, you know, in the in
the corporate headquarters, if you will, kind of
far removed
from what goes on in the hospital and
the medical group and health systems.
And I genuinely like
working with staff, talking with them,
getting to know them. Certainly, that is something
that I get to do a lot more
in this role than before.
Although, I mean, at multicare several years ago,
I was, running out of network of urgent
care centers across the state. And in that
role, I got to see and speak with
more both patients and staff. But in this
role, it's a daily occurrence, and I really
do enjoy that part of it.
Thank you. And as you dig deeper into
the surgery center world,
what specialties do you like in the surgery
center? Are there specials you don't like in
the surgery center? Any sort of, you know,
first thoughts after almost 24 months in the
surgery center line?
Sure. So I think what's interesting is that
within various service lines, there are, you know,
procedures that we like and do and do
very well in the ASC, and then there
are some that just don't.
So I think, for example, we are
we're moving rather heavily into the of what
we're calling musculoskeletal
services, so, pain, spine, and neurosurgery. And,
you know, within the spine realm, there are
several procedures like
ACDFs,
LAME's,
SI joints that are perfectly positioned for a
surgery center. We do them very well.
Patients have a great experience. They're they're in
and they're out, and it's easier to find.
There's no,
your giant parking garage and structure, and then
you have to weave your way through a
hospital.
So those do very well.
Then again, clearly, in that same realm, you
know, those procedures involve
the the brain
or
or nervous systems are are more complex
and typically require work in a hospital. And
so those were
I don't believe are are good for the
AFC, and I don't know that several of
those ever ever really will be. And then
also on the on the AFC side, those,
you know, those LAMMI's ATDFs
and SI joints,
they also reimburse pretty well. So we like
those.
Ophthalmology is another one. So,
you know, in the health system space, I
don't know that I really, at the time,
paid much attention to ophthalmologist because that was
oftentimes always done in a surgery center at
least during
my 15 years or so in health care.
They are perfectly positioned for surgery centers and
that they're typically pretty quick cases, pretty quick
turnaround.
You know, on cataract lens cataracts,
on premium lens implants,
LASIK,
glaucoma surgery, etcetera,
those are pretty quick,
and patients are in and out, you know,
in
a very short period of time. And so
it's a great experience for them, and it's
quick and fast for us.
I think,
also so kind of the lower extremity world,
so foot ankle podiatry and and lower extremity,
those are services that are
perfectly positioned for surgery centers, and we like
those as well.
Some of them take a bit longer than
the other cases, but, again,
patients are in and out very quickly and
they, have a great experience.
I think, you know, we don't do plastics,
but certainly plastics is a, perfect thing for
surgery centers.
Pain management is a fantastic one,
not only from a reimbursement perspective, but from
the patient care perspective because
oftentimes,
if you're coming in for a pain procedure,
you
are in pain right at that very moment.
And being able to find the center quickly,
get in and get out is a great
experience for them. And again, they do reimburse
very well. So spinal cord simulators,
injections, radio frequency ablations,
peripheral nerve simulators, those are are things that
we do at my every week.
Urology, so we don't do that one, either
yet, but is
quickly, I think, moved into
into the ambulatory realm,
and,
you know, cytoscopy,
biopsies,
etcetera.
Those are perfect for surgery centers. Ones where
I think it it gets more complicated, just
certainly
a cardiac surgery,
big neurosurgery, etcetera.
Those are cases that I don't know that
those will,
at least in my lifetime,
be
ASC appropriate just because they're so complicated
oftentimes and the
and
the post op is get longer typically in
the hospital.
But
other than that, I I think that those
are the big ones. We're really focused right
now primarily on
the pain procedures, the spine procedures,
and neurosurgery,
and of course, ophthalmology.
Those are we believe that
there's a lot of opportunity for growth,
and there's a lot of opportunity for for
partnerships
in the health system space as well because
oftentimes
right now, at least what I'm I'm hearing
is that hospital ORs are pretty full,
these days, at least they are in Tucson.
And so interestingly enough, the health systems are
interested in in those partnerships to free up
their ORs for the more complex and acute
cases.
Thank you very, very much. And what about
physician leadership? How important is the physician leadership
to the success of a center?
I think it's it's very important. So there's
there's a happy balance. Right? I think that,
from the
attracting other physicians, you know, I think that's
a huge part of the role of a
physician leader is
you're working with your colleagues who perhaps,
don't currently use an
ASC or,
are looking for,
other opportunities. I think that in that realm,
especially, physicians are very important.
And then in terms of
deciding which cases are and are not appropriate,
it's critical.
We are very fortunate
that
the owners
that are physicians,
of our ASC are just wonderful people as
well as outstanding physicians.
And they work very well together. They educate
the staff. They,
they build rapport with anesthesia. It's their role
in leading the center is essential,
and I think that's something else that's, you
know, it's
a shift in the marketplace right now. I
think that, payer dynamics and whatnot are oftentimes
moving,
forcing
independent surgery centers just because of the economic
realities
to
partner or be acquired by
larger
national surgery chains or even even health systems,
which
when that happens, oftentimes,
but not always, that physician leadership
role can shift.
And we're also very fortunate in that we
are a physician led,
surgery center, and,
it works well as long as
the physician leaders and the,
administrative and kind of senior leaders
partner and understand
where everyone's strengths and weaknesses are, I think
it's it's a really great balance.
Thank you. And finally, Christopher, we're just getting
going 2025. Although, almost through the 1st month
already, which is amazing.
I know.
It really is. What are you most focused
on and excited about this year?
Sure. It feels like it was just Halloween.
It just boggles my mind.
I think that for the coming year and
for the industry in general, I see on
the horizon
a lot of opportunities
within the,
AI
and tech space, which is both exciting and
kind of scary too. I think that the
opportunity to,
infuse some of what comes of
those investments and that technology as it continues
to mature.
It has the opportunity to,
to make us more efficient, to help us
lower the cost of care,
and
to help us, I think, deliver on what
is another thing that I'm excited about,
is related to consumerism.
So having lived
in the urgent care space for
several years,
like and focus on the consumer experience
and really,
creating consumer
preferred models of care.
I think that that, along with AI in
terms of how we, you know, can educate
and engage with patients, engage with consumers,
to not only improve their experience, but also
improve their care
and for us to do things more efficiently.
Because as I think we all know,
you know, the
rising cost of
of delivering care compared to the increases
in in reimbursement, there's a
that math doesn't work very well. And so
I think,
both from the patient experience
side as well as the financial side, those
two things are really exciting for me.
And then for just for us, at our
center at,
Wyatt,
you know, we're still a start up of
sorts. So, while ophthalmology
has been going there for some time, you
know, just 6 months ago, 7 months ago,
we started doing
the spine surgery
and
and pain procedures,
and neurosurgery. So we are still kind of
a startup in that sense, and I'm really
excited about
where that's gonna head.
I think that
the opportunity
for growth for us,
with our partnership with the health system,
with the physicians that we have right now,
and and those that are,
interested in joining us. It's just a really
exciting time to be here.
That's fantastic.
What a what a great situation.
Christopher, I can't tell you how much I
appreciate your leadership, your sort of constant learning
and evolving in leadership. Just fantastic.
Thank you for joining us today,
on the Becker's Healthcare podcast. What a pleasure.
Thank you very, very much. Thank you.