Wake County's largest hospital system is exploring a potential partnership with a private company that runs a chain of outpatient surgery centers across the country.
WakeMed's discussions with Surgical Care Affiliates could lead to various collaborations, including SCA managing WakeMed's three outpatient facilities in Raleigh and Cary.
Another possibility would involve WakeMed buying a majority stake in SCA's only local facility, the Blue Ridge Surgery Center, just down the street from rival Rex Healthcare.
The two organizations expect to decide on an agreement by the end of February. WakeMed CEO Bill Atkinson said hospital officials have talked with Birmingham, Ala.-based SCA for several years about joining forces.
Tapping SCA's experience will help as Wake County's population continues to grow and WakeMed looks at adding more outpatient centers, Atkinson said. Demand for such centers, which are seen as a way to control medical costs compared with inpatient hospitals, could increase with a reformed health-care system.
"Like most complex organizations, we're always seeking ways to be on the leading edge of delivering health care to patients," Atkinson said.
Any deal with SCA would give WakeMed access to a broader base of local physicians, a new source of referred patients and a partner with expertise in running outpatient centers. SCA would get access to WakeMed's clout in the fast-growing Wake County health-care market.
A deal also could affect WakeMed's plans to build a $60.7 million outpatient medical center next to its flagship Raleigh hospital. WakeMed officials filed that proposal with state regulators in June.
SCA runs 129 ambulatory surgery centers and hospitals, including five in North Carolina. The company was created in 2007 when an investment firm bought the outpatient surgery division of HealthSouth, a publicly traded health-services company also based in Birmingham.
HealthSouth was the center of a massive accounting scandal that sent former CEO Richard Scrushy to prison for nearly seven years.
SCA officials couldn't be reached for comment Thursday night.
