Beginning on April 5, 2011, the Helena SurgiCenter will be adding Endoscopy Procedures (Colonoscopies and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) to our patient care services. These procedures will be scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Welcome to the Helena SurgiCenter

There are nearly 5,000 free standing surgical centers in the United States. Helena proudly boasts that the Helena SurgiCenter was opened in October, 1998. Located in the lower level of the Orthopedic building, the facility is owned jointly by 14 active Helena surgeons and St. Peter’s Hospital. It is licensed, staffed, and managed as a totally separate facility. Usual hours of availability are Monday through Thursday from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Fridays 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The center is licensed by the State of Montana and is certified as a Medicare and Medicaid provider regulated by state and federal governments. Most private insurance plans are welcomed.

Technological advances in surgery have made it possible to perform 60-70% of today's surgical procedures on an outpatient basis. The advantage for the patient to have the procedure done in an outpatient facility is that the process to get in and out is normally much less complex. Surgeries can be considerably less costly than in a hospital environment where the nature of the care rendered requires 24 hour staffing, maintenance and a much higher cost base.

The atmosphere and process of surgery in a freestanding ambulatory surgical center differs from hospital care in that the patient is considered a healthy person who visits the center just for surgical treatment. Any other diagnostic care such as x-ray, laboratory or other testing is done elsewhere. Patients often walk into the operating room and may not have to totally disrobe. Many do not have general anesthesia so at minimum spend only a short period in a recliner for recovery.

Here is a brief list of our more common Same Day Surgical procedures.