West Side GI Launches As One of NYC's Largest, Most Advanced Ambulatory Surgery Centers

NEW YORK, NY, July 15, 2012 (Press-News.org) West Side GI, LLC, which is expected to rank among New York State's largest ambulatory surgical centers based on the patient caseload of its 11 founding physicians, launched earlier this month on 54th Street on Manhattan's West Side.

West Side GI was conceived of two years ago by several gastroenterologists affiliated with St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, in conjunction with management partner Frontier Healthcare Holdings (www.frontierhh.com), based in New York City. West Side GI was surveyed by the New York State Department of Health on June 11 and received same-week approval, an exceptional achievement.

"Our goal was to create an ambulatory surgery center to provide the highest level of patient care, in a modern facility," said Dr. James Palma, a board member of West Side GI. "We have in place a set of leading physicians, a beautiful new facility with state-of-the-art technology and a management partner that together allow us to focus on what we do best: treat patients."

West Side GI offers patients a broad range of gastrointestinal endoscopic services, including upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Many of West Side GI's physicians previously treated patients in their offices, but recognized the advantages of an ambulatory surgery center as a safer, more efficient site of service.

Located at 619 W. 54th Street, between 11th and 12th avenues, the center is centrally located to serve patients from throughout the greater metropolitan area. West Side GI's facility is approximately 13,000 square feet, and includes five procedure rooms. The physicians there are expected to see a combined +20,000 patients per annum.

"As an Article 28 licensed facility, West Side GI meets stringent safety and infection control requirements in the same way hospitals do, but provides a more intimate and personalized environment for patients. Our vision at this new state-of-the art facility is to bring our patients, and the community at large, a highly innovative, cost-efficient alternative to hospital based endoscopy units" said Les Seecoomar, M.D., Board Member of WGI. "With its serene surroundings and intimate setting, we are confident that this new facility will make the colonoscopy/endoscopy experience as pleasant and stress-free as possible."

New York State currently has the second-lowest number of ASCs per capita in the country, but is experiencing rapid ASC growth. West Side GI is the fourth New York ASC opened by Frontier Healthcare.

"There's a pent-up demand for the ambulatory surgery center business model from physicians throughout the greater New York area," said Jordan Fowler, CEO of Frontier Healthcare Holdings. "We've been impressed with the level of commitment and energy displayed by leading physicians in adopting one of the best models for delivering patient care. We expect more doctors to migrate to the ambulatory surgical center model over the next several years based on the NY Department of Health's endorsement of ASCs as a superior site of service, patient preference and the flexibility that they offer."

About West Side GI, LLC

West Side GI, LLC is a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgical center specializing in gastrointestinal and endoscopic procedures, and is dedicated to providing high-quality healthcare service, patient care and operational excellence. Formed by eleven New-York based physicians, the center strives for patient procedure excellence by providing the highest quality care with emphasis on patient satisfaction in a personalized, compassionate, professional environment.

About Frontier Healthcare

Frontier Healthcare partners with groups of physicians to develop and manage ASCs. Frontier manages the largest portfolio of ASCs in New York State, and its network of GI physicians represents more than 100,000 cases annually across more than 80 doctors, including some of the most well respected physicians in the tri-state area. Frontier manages the development process from start to finish, guiding its physicians through each stage and, as a true partner to each ASC, manages and oversees each facility on an on-going basis.

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