Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center is a private, physician-owned-and-designed outpatient healthcare center in Jackson, Michigan that has been recognized internationally for its commitment to providing excellent, timely and affordable patient care. Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center was founded in April 1997 and offers a range of medical services including ophthalmology, orthopedics, podiatry and general surgery.
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Throughout the years, Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center has pioneered procedures and technology to provide its patients with world-class medical and surgical services in a safe, calm and hospitable setting. In 1998, it was one of the first surgical centers to be accredited by not-for-profit The Joint Commission which certifies American healthcare organizations and programs. Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center’s accreditation means it is held to the same standards as a hospital.
This year, Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center is celebrating twenty years of patient care and satisfaction. Over the past two decades, the center has developed a reputation for firsts, as Jennifer Hohman, Business Operations Manager, described.
“We’re respected for our talented physicians and our state-of-the-art technology. I have a couple of ophthalmologists who are usually the ones that like to jump out when something new comes into play, so that’s why we’re the first one in the state for the femtosecond LenSx Laser for cataract surgery. We’re the first one in the state for the iStent®.” FDA-approved medical device iStent helps glaucoma patients manage pressure within the eye.
Blake Woods is also a leader in corneal transplants. Dr. Kevin Lavery was the first in Michigan to perform the DSEAK and DMEK corneal procedures. The center specializes in refractive lens exchange, cornea and glaucoma surgeries; implantable contact lenses; astigmatism correction; and cataract surgery. “Our retinal surgeons can also deal with macular degeneration and other retinal diseases,” said Hohman.
“My surgeons want to provide the best care to their patients with new technology,” Hohman said. One of these is Dr. Paul Ernest, who received the Honored Guest award at the 2016 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery – American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASCRS-ASOA) Symposium and Congress for his outstanding contributions to the field of ophthalmology. He is one of the physicians responsible for the development of the no-stitch cataract surgery, as well as several instruments used during cataract surgery.
Likewise, Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center’s previous Chief Executive Officer, Margaret Acker, was featured in several publications with articles pertaining to the improving performance during cataract procedures. She also led the process of transferring retina procedures to ambulatory surgery centers which has further built the facility’s impact on healthcare innovation.
Each year, Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center helps upwards of 6,000 patients. Patients come from across the U.S., Canada and even overseas, however, most of its patients are from mid-Michigan.
The center has thirteen physicians, nine ophthalmologists, an orthopedic surgeon, a general surgeon and two retina specialists, as well as forty-two staff members. The 12,000-square-foot facility that Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center calls home is equipped with the latest technology, three operating rooms, two procedure suites, and a private, ten-bed pre-operation and recovery area.
“When they originally opened, it was with two operating rooms, and they had three procedure rooms, and then I believe it was in 2004, we added an extra operating room, so we are now up to three,” Hohman explained.
“I would like to grow Blake Woods even more,” she noted. “I would like to add on a fourth operating room to bring more services and surgeons in. My first goal, when I assumed this position, was to fill our empty block time. Once I fill all our open block time, show a need for being open on Fridays and fill another operating room, we should be able to reach this goal.”
Hohman has been with Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center for thirteen years, and throughout that time, she has seen the center change significantly. “When I first started here, we had two types of lenses, and we could do forty or fifty patients in a day. Now, with the advancement in technology, and the advancement in all the different lenses that we implant into the patients’ eyes, we just can’t do the volume that we used to do because there is so much more that goes into it.”
At Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center, “we treat our staff and physicians like family and with respect. Our staff is pretty close-knit for the most part. Everybody comes to work, and it’s like working with your family. We treat our patients the same way,” said Hohman.
“We are always looking for ways to improve quality, safety, and service for our patients and our physicians. We have a performance improvement committee that meets every quarter or as needed to review variances and look for ways to improve in all areas. We have a committee that reviews all of our policies to make sure that we are compliant with the regulations of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, State of Michigan and The Joint Commission,” Hohman explained.
The center is committed to upholding high standards. It is certified by Medicare, conforms to requirements of Blue Cross Blue Shield and other insurers, is reviewed and certified by the Michigan Department of Community Health and is accredited by The Joint Commission.
Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center also conducts annual training sessions including Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training, training on dealing with blood borne pathogens, and much more. Continuous training is how Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center remains a leading authority in the various medical services, procedures and specialties it offers to patients.
“We did our education day on August twenty-ninth this year, and we did some training on some of our equipment that is used daily. When something new comes in, we bring in the representative from that company, and they train us on the new equipment. Any new suppliers, any new instruments – we do a lot of training.”
Looking forward, Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center will continue to identify opportunities to innovate and improve service and care for its patients.
