Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists PS has completed renovations on a new ambulatory surgery center in Spokane Valley, expanding its capacity to provide orthopedic and interventional pain services, says Trisha Bruininks, marketing specialist for the physician-owned group. 

The 3,200-square-foot ambulatory surgery center is located on the first level of the NWOS Spokane Valley facility at 12410 E. Sinto, just west of Multicare Valley Hospital, and is an expansion of the facility’s onsite services, which include an orthopedic clinic, an express walk-in clinic, an MRI suite, and a physical and hand therapy suite. 

“It’s just an exciting expansion for us because there are a lot of people in Spokane Valley and the region overall that can utilize interventional pain procedures,” Bruininks says. 

The ambulatory surgery center has two procedure rooms and is certified with the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Bruininks says.

One procedure room will accommodate patients seeking interventional pain management procedures, which include epidural steroid injections, spinal cord stimulation, and peripheral nerve blocks. The second procedure room is dedicated to hand and wrist surgical procedures using the WALANT method, which stands for “wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet.” 

Surgeries that can be performed using this method include carpal tunnel release, finger reconstruction, and finger and thumb arthritis treatments.

“(WALANT) can be more cost effective, safer, and less risky for some patients that maybe can’t go under general anesthesia,” Buininks says.

Northwest Orthopedic Specialist Real Estate LLC purchased the Spokane Valley building in February of 2021, for $11.6 million, according to records with the Spokane County Assessor’s Office.

Renovations began in early 2022 with the physical and hand therapy clinic and express walk-in clinic opening that July, and the MRI suite opening the following month.

The surgery center was the last project to be completed and took the longest because the Washington state Department of Health needed to approve construction plans, and the site needed to pass approval with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Bruininks says. Spokane-based NAC Architecture provided design work on the space. Spokane-based Silvey Construction Inc. was the contractor on the project, according to permit records filed with the city of Spokane Valley. 

NWOS is an independent practice group that traces its beginnings to the 1950s. It has three Spokane-area locations, including its original ambulatory surgery center in downtown Spokane. NWOS has 22 physician owners and about 300 employees.