Mercy puts former OSS building to work

Mercy Springfield Communities is relocating a portion of its Eye and Ear Center to the former Orthopaedic Specialists of Springfield building, which the health system purchased in August.

Doctors will move to the 77,000-square-foot property building at National Avenue and Montclair Street from clinic offices inside the Mercy Surgery Center at 1229 E. Seminole St.. to treat patients for ear, nose and throat surgeries, according to a news release.

Mercy spokeswoman Sonya Kullmann said regular office visits will still continue to occur at the Mercy Surgery Center for now, though the offices could move to the former OSS building in the future. She said the second floor of the OSS building needs to be remodeled, and the health care system is looking for ways to fill the space.

The building was part of Mercy's buyout of OSS, in which it also acquired the orthopedic center's assets. The acquisition resulted in the Aug. 31 closure of OSS.

Among the services available at the building, Mercy is touting bladeless cataract surgery, technology the health system claims is the first available in the region, according to the release.

Effective March 4, Mercy ophthalmologists will begin performing cataract surgeries using a femtosecond laser system, which maps the eye, makes a cut and breaks up the cataract. The improved surgery is expected to result in fewer complications, cut down on recovery time and result in better post-surgery vision.

“Simply put, laser cataract surgery helps us provide the most exact results with the highest safety margin available anywhere,” Mercy ophthalmologist Dr. Wendell Scott said in the release. “We are excited to be the first to bring this advanced technology to the region.”