A Saint Cloud-based business just celebrated its 50th anniversary and in doing so we learned that they were the first of their kind in Minnesota, and just the 2nd in the entire nation when they opened their doors in 1972. Saint Cloud Surgical Center has been offering outpatient surgeries since '72.

According to Saint Cloud Surgical's website;

"When Dr. Joseph Belshe, an anesthesiologist from rural Minnesota, began his quest to establish an affordable surgery option in his community, he never imagined it would be what it is today. As the 1st outpatient surgical center in Minnesota and only the 2nd in the US, the odds were stacked against him, but he had the right people on his side, and it made all the difference."

The surgical center offers various services for clients which include:

Ear, Nose, and Throat
Hand
Podiatry
Spine

Outpatient surgery has been available since the 70s when the first site opened in Phoenix Arizona by two doctors who according to the ASC Association did so due to it being a more "cost-effective alternative to inpatient hospital care for surgical services. Faced with frustrations like scheduling delays, limited operating room availability, and slow operating room turnover times"

The Minnesota Department of Health's website has an entire area devoted to information on outpatient surgery and the multiple businesses that offer them. You can learn more about that process and the licensing from the state by going here.

You can find more information about the Saint Cloud Surgical Center by heading here, and you can also learn more about the history of outpatient surgery by going here.

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