CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 3 Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital also performs outpatient procedures at its SurgiCenter. Cataract surgeries have quickly become the hospital's biggest growth market. In 2014, the hospital's operating rooms performed 2,000 cataract procedures. That number climbed to 2,700 last year. Specialty Procedures All the outpatient growth excites Dees, but inpatient surgeries are her primary focus. It's her job to keep Cape Fear Valley Medical Center's main ORs busy and on schedule. The medical center's busiest operating rooms may be the two assigned solely for joint replacement procedures. Dickson Schaefer, M.D., says the dedicated rooms have helped his practice greatly. His hip and knee replacement cases have doubled in recent years. "My surgery volume has grown significantly," he said. "They are able to clean one room and get it ready for another case while I am operating in the other room." Dr. Schaefer has begun discharging joint replacement patients the same day to reduce time patients have to spend in the hospital. He says many patients prefer to recover at home. He modeled the practice after an Ohio- based healthcare system's discharge model. The goal is to get patients back on their feet and moving as quickly as possible. "We're doing wellness surgery, not sick surgery," Dr. Schaefer said. "Getting them home faster helps them psychologically to feel better, faster." Cape Fear Valley's urology numbers are also on the rise, especially kidney stone procedures. Juan Lopez, M.D., with Cape Fear Valley Urology, says the growth stems from North Carolina residing in the "Kidney Stone Belt." The term refers to a region in the Southeast, where the rate of kidney stones is excessive. North Carolina reportedly has the highest incidence of kidney stones in the nation. Caucasian males are particularly at risk for the condition. "The summers are just hot and humid, here," Dr. Lopez said. "People get dehydrated, leading to kidney stones. They keep us pretty busy." The urologist and his colleagues use everything from special endoscopes to laser lithotripsy to treat the painful mineral formations. The practice also treats plenty of prostate and bladder cancers, incontinence and other minor conditions, using Highmsith-Rainey's ORs. Urology procedures at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center look to also increase with the arrival of Landon Nguyen, M.D., a robotic surgery specialist. Robotic surgery can perform several types of complex procedures, often with more precision, flexibility and control than conventional techniques. Dr. Nguyen will use Cape Fear Valley's da Vinci robotic surgery system. It's capable of treating a number of urology conditions, including prostate cancer, kidney disorders or cancer, urinary blockages and bladder cancer. Cape Fear Valley Health is expanding our scope of services with the opening of Cape Fear Valley Ophthalmology. The new clinic will be led by Raz Penmatcha, M.D., a popular local ophthalmologist who is dedicated to providing quality eye care to the area. Dr. Penmatcha specializes in cataract and glaucoma surgery, as well as medical retina, ocuplastics, anterior segment reconstruction and Lasik. Dr. Penmatcha also provides continuous care for those with macular degeneration. "We're doing wellness surgery, not sick surgery... Getting patients home faster helps them psychologically to feel better, faster." – dickson schaefer, md SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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