Bellin's Surgery and Specialty Center opens Monday. Here's what you need to know and a sneak peek
ASHWAUBENON - Bellin's new Surgery and Specialty Center will open its doors to patients Monday.
The five-story surgery and specialty center was built on the former Menards site off Waube Lane. Appointments at the center will start next week for several specialties housed on the first two floors of the building.
The facility was under construction for nearly 2.5 years. The health system announced plans to build the 262,000-square-foot facility in October 2021.
Here's what you need to know about the new surgery and specialty center before you book your appointment.
The center is a 'one-stop shop' for surgery
Bellin moved its outpatient surgical services to the new, expanded center on Waube Lane from its hospital on South Webster Avenue. Services on the first and second floors will open Monday and they include operating rooms, therapy, orthopedics, rheumatology, podiatry, imaging and labs, pharmacy, and surgery preparation.
There are 12 operating room suites in the new facility, with updated technology and are three times larger than the suites on Webster Avenue.
The new center makes it easier for patients to access care, particularly for surgery. Imaging, lab services, pre-operation rooms, and operating rooms are all housed inside; patients don't need to get separate orders for each step and go to different facilities to get preparation and surgery done, said Dr. Matthew Ough, Bellin Health general surgeon.
"It coalesces a lot of it into one building," Ough said. "It will be a one-stop shop for patients instead of being sent to different facilities, buildings to get their care and workups done."
Does the new facility reduce costs of care?
It's unclear. The Wisconsin Hospitals Association provides a list of rates of hospitals and medical centers statewide, though prices at Bellin Health Surgery and Specialty Center are not yet available on the list.
Prices at Bellin's Marinette surgery center are cheaper than services at the hospital, the list shows. The Marinette and Ashwaubenon centers work with free-standing rates, which means they are not tied to hospital rates by contract.
All services will be available by the end of the year
The first two floors will open to patients next week, and services on the third and fourth floors of the facility are expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
Digestive health, gastroenterology, ENT, asthma, allergy, audiology, and neuropsych services are on the third and fourth floors. By completion, there will be 30 different departments available in the facility.
Benita Mathew is a health reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at bmathew@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bellin's new Surgery and Specialty Center opens Monday
