North Atlanta Surgical Associates Opens Ambulatory Surgery Center

North Atlanta Surgical Associates Opens Ambulatory Surgery Center

Adjacent to Northside and St. Joseph’s Hospitals, Center is First Single-Specialty General Surgery Center in Georgia

August 17, 2011 (Atlanta) — The physicians of North Atlanta Surgical Associates (NASA) recently announced the opening of the first single-specialty general surgery center in Georgia at the Center Pointe Medical Office complex at 1100 Johnson Ferry Road adjacent to Northside and St. Joseph’s hospitals.

The new 7,764-square foot Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) includes two operating rooms, one minor procedure room, three pre-op bays, and six recovery bays. Prior to opening, the ASC earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in ambulatory care organizations.

Dr. Iqbal Garcha, director of the NASA Surgery Center LLC, said, “We recognize Joint Commission accreditation as the Gold Seal for providing safe, high quality patient care. Achieving accreditation from The Joint Commission is a team effort that will bring confidence to our patients and give us a framework to provide the best care possible.” An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

“The new center provides an outpatient setting for a healthier population. It also gives our patients the opportunity to have a seamless, streamlined process for their surgery,” Dr. Garcha said.

ASCs are health care facilities that offer patients the opportunity to have selected surgical and procedural services performed outside the hospital setting. The goal of ASCs is to provide a high-quality, cost-effective alternative to outpatient hospital care for surgical services.

Until recently, general surgery was not considered a single specialty, making this facility the first of its kind in the state.

Dr. Garcha said that the surgery center allows surgeons to schedule procedures more conveniently, assemble teams of specially-trained and highly skilled staff, and ensure the equipment and supplies being used are best suited to their technique. The doctors worked closely with architects to design the center to meet the needs of their patients.

The following NASA physicians are majority owners in the surgery center: Drs. C. Richard Cummings, Jr., George Shaak, Michael Hoffman, Jeffrey Hoadley, Mark Wilkiemeyer, Gary Ludi, Alexander Park, J. Dewayne Colquitt, John P. Daly, David M. Ruben, J. Patrick Luke, and Iqbal Garcha. Minority owners of the center are Drs. J. Clay Copher, M.D., Jeff G. Tucker, Louis A Goehring, Arnold Rosen, Russell A. Wilson, L. Thomas Winger, IV, George Daneker, and David D. Park.

Each member of the NASA practice is board certified in general surgery. This means he or she has passed strict requirements in education, training, and certification examinations to prove competency in their surgical specialty.

North Atlanta Surgical Associates is committed to providing superior surgical care. The practice’s 27 general surgeons are dedicated to maintaining a position as regional leaders and providing the highest quality of care and service to their patients. Each of the practice’s general surgeons operates at one or more of these Atlanta hospitals: Emory John’s Creek Hospital, Northside Hospital, Northside Hospital Forsyth, North Fulton Hospital, Piedmont Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Hospital.