by John Howser
With year-over-year growth in surgical volume, Vanderbilt Health is forming a new Ambulatory Surgery Division. Within the Vanderbilt Health System approximately 85,000 surgical operations are performed each year, of which 70% are ambulatory.
The new division will reside within the Ambulatory Enterprise led by an executive team. David Penson, MD, MPH, MMHC, chair of the Department of Urologic Surgery, will serve as the new division’s Executive Medical Director. Alex Jahangir, MD, vice chair of Orthopedic Surgery and Vice President for Business Development, will serve in an interim capacity, leading the organization of the new division as Vice President of Ambulatory Surgery and Chief Operating Officer while he also leads the search for someone to serve permanently in this role. Chris Wilde, MBA, CPA, Vice President and Divisional Chief Financial Officer, will serve as the new division’s director of Finance.
These leaders will report to Rick Wright, MD, chief medical officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs, and Wendy Monaci, MBA, Executive Vice President for Adult Ambulatory Operations. An advisory committee will support the Ambulatory Surgery Division leadership team, including several surgical department representatives, a representative of Vanderbilt Health Services, and selected representatives of current perioperative services leadership.
“As we look to the future, it is important to establish a firm organizational foundation to accommodate the growth in ambulatory surgical volumes across our health system. The creation of this new division is a logical step as we continue to meet the needs of the patients we serve,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Health system Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “The new division will allow for greater oversight of ambulatory surgery and procedural area governance and operations, allowing leaders to better set strategies. This new organizational alignment will create opportunities for setting and monitoring goals, optimizing utilization, greater patient and provider satisfaction, and improving support for clinicians working both off and on the health system’s downtown Nashville campus.”
The new division’s locations will initially consist of the Vanderbilt Surgery Center at Belle Meade, Vanderbilt Surgery Center at Franklin, The Vanderbilt Surgery Center located in the FEL building, Vanderbilt Surgery Center at Cool Springs, and Vanderbilt Surgery Center at Spring Hill.