The St. Croix Surgery Center medical staff. Photo Credit: SCSC
The St. Croix Surgery Center (SCSC) achieved a milestone in February 2021, performing the first outpatient total knee replacement in the United States Virgin Islands. In a recently issued release, the center said is setting new standards of care for the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean by offering these specialized surgical procedures, total joint replacements of the knee and hip in an outpatient setting, which allows patients to recover in the comfort of their home or at a peaceful Island retreat the same day as their surgery.
In the past, total joint surgeries have required extended stays in the hospital or in an off-island rehab facility while the patient recovers. Now, better anesthesia techniques, surgical techniques, and improvements in prosthetic implants have significantly reduced the recovery time after a joint replacement, SCSC said. This means that extensive hospital stays are no longer required for post-operative rehabilitation. This also means that Virgin Islanders have another option to receive this life enhancing procedure without having to travel off-island.
Dr. Brian Bacot, medical director at SCSC and a specialist in adult reconstructive surgery, has performed hundreds of total joint replacements mainly in hospital settings. Through his observation over the years, Dr. Bacot has found that patients recover best at home. "When you combine this with a state-of-the-art facility, our comprehensive patient care and education, and high satisfaction rates, moving toward an outpatient total joint program is the natural progression for greater patient satisfaction and a more efficient delivery of care," he said.
State-of-the-art surgical equipment at the St. Croix Surgery Center. (Credit: St. Croix Surgery Center)
St. Croix Surgery Center is the first and only ambulatory surgical center in the Virgin Islands offering total joint replacements. The medical facility is located at 4006 Estate Diamond, Suite 203 (know the facility known as the Viya building), and is a multi-specialty surgery center fully accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and is CMS/Medicare certified.
SCSC said it offers the latest advancements in surgical technology in a comfortable and compassionate environment. In addition to total joint replacements, the center offers spine, orthopedic, general, GYN, endoscopic, ophthalmologic, ENT, facial and oral surgical procedures. SCSC also delivers both outpatient and minimally invasive surgery to help move patients towards a rapid recovery and returning to their lives as quickly as possible.
Dr. Bacot and an assistant perform first outpatient total knee replacement in the United States Virgin Islands. (Credit: St. Croix Surgery Center)
SCSC said it has dedicated specialty trained physicians, staff and management that have committed to the development of the outpatient total joint program as well as all the surgical services provided at SCSC.
Beginning this year, Medicare now covers outpatient total joint replacement under the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) & Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System Rule.
