ORIGINAL  CONCEPT  OF  RUSH  SURGERY  CENTER

The original concept of the surgery center started in 1999.  After meetings with the state of Oregon,  it was pointed out that a certificate that would allow the building of a new hospital in Brookings would not be considered by Oregon or Medicare until the population in Brookings multiplied by over 10 times.  The state health department pointed out that the only certificates which have been issued in Oregon in the past 30 years were Tualatin and Gresham after huge population increases. 

William H. Rush, MHA, a hospital administrator who had previously worked for Medicare in Washington DC,  was responsible for the initial idea. 
He had been the editor for the first Medicare publication on Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) in the early 1980's.  Because of his vast knowledge on ASC's he recommended that an ASC in Brookings would be the perfect solution.  Medicare and other insurances favor ASC's because they are typically more efficient which turns into a savings for patients, Medicare and other payors.  

One of the factors that has evolved over the past 20 years is that current statistics show that over 75% of all surgery is now being done on an outpatient basis in ASC's.    

For his important contributions, Rush Surgery Center is named after the late William Rush.