Endoscopy Center of Ocala is an outpatient, endoscopic facility specializing in colorectal cancer screening and problems involving the digestive tract. The 6,100-square-foot facility is home to nine board-certified physicians who have served their Ocala and North Central Florida neighbors for more than 125 years.

Endoscopy Center of Ocala has a proven track record of excellence that you and your family can count on. Since opening our doors in 1992, we’ve performed thousands of procedures each year. At the Endoscopy Center of Ocala, you’ll be in the hands of the community’s most qualified and highly trained physicians – all board-certified. Our center, one of the largest of its kind in this region, is fully certified by the State of Florida and Medicare. We are accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) – the preeminent leader in developing national patient care guidelines. This means we’ve voluntarily met nationally recognized standards for quality health care. We also use state-of-the-art video monitored equipment for diagnostic procedures.

The doctors, nurses and staff appreciate the confidence you have placed in us. We support safe, quality patient care by using a collaborative team approach between the patient, the patient’s family, physicians and staff. Compassion, safety and respect are our top priorities.

Join the fight against colon cancer!  America's No. 2 cancer killer!

Americans are dying at alarming rates from undetected or late-stage colon cancer. Yet it’s 90 percent preventable.

Endoscopy Center of Ocala is part of Stop Colon Cancer Now, a community of 200 outpatient surgery centers and more than 700 physicians specializing in digestive tract treatment, including the prevention of colon cancer. We are working together to:

• Save lives through prevention education
• Empower people
• Energize survivors to share their stories
• Provide convenient screening locations
• Support quality care

When patients choose to use an outpatient surgery center, also called an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), most find that the process is much more convenient, as well as more personal. Our center offers a relaxed environment with medical staff focused on offering individualized patient care. Our specialized staff helps each patient's visit go as quickly and smoothly as possible.  Other benefits of an ASC include:

Ease of use

Since our center focuses on a limited number of procedures, most patients find that we are much easier to navigate than a typical hospital environment.

One Location

Our center offers patient registration, waiting rooms, surgical suites and recovery rooms all in one convenient location.

Scheduling Options

To meet a patient's specific scheduling needs, we offer a number of scheduling options. Plus, since all surgeries at an ASC are scheduled, your procedure is never bumped or delayed by an emergency case.

Reduced Cross-infection

We see surgical patients only. In fact, if a patient is ill, we usually will reschedule the procedure for a later date. Therefore, there is a much lowered opportunity for someone else's illness to become yours in an ASC than in a hospital.

Focus on the Patient

We know exactly how many patients we will serve each day and can, therefore, staff appropriately to ensure very personal care. Our priority in the center is you and your procedure.

Reduced cost

Since we do not have the overhead of a surgery facility that offers a range of procedures including those for the very seriously ill and emergency surgery, our ASC is typically able to perform your procedure at the same high level of care with the same specialized attention but at a lower cost, an especially nice advantage if you have a copay.

Physicians:

• Prabhakar Rumalla, M.D.
• Richard B. Van Eldik, M.D.
• Robert D. McClary, M.D.
• Robert W. Barish, M.D.
• Richard A. Truesdale, Jr., M.D.
• Miguel A. Ramos, M.D.
• Ashwin Rumalla, M.D.
• Trini Vaidya, M.D.
• Tom Mathew, M.D.

Procedures Available:

Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is a visual examination of the entire large intestine (colon) using a lighted, flexible colonoscope. To be certain you are comfortable and relaxed, you will be sedated through an I.V. In fact, most patients are asleep during the entire process and remember little to nothing about it.

If polyps (very small growths of tissue) are found, your doctor can perform a biopsy immediately. The biopsy involves passing an instrument through the scope to remove the polyp, which is sent to a laboratory to be analyzed.

You should feel nothing when a biopsy or polyp is taken, and you should experience no recovery pain. While the overwhelming majority of polyps are harmless, your physician will have it tested and confirm your results with you, usually within 24-72 hours depending on the day of the week of the procedure. Furthermore, since most colon cancer starts as a benign polyp, when these are removed, the possibility of them growing into cancer is removed as well.

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

A sigmoidoscopy is an internal exam of the lower part of the large colon using a short, thin, flexible lighted tube ("scope"). It is inserted into the rectum and slowly guided into the colon. The tube, called a flexible sigmoidoscope, has a lens for viewing. It may also have a small biopsy instrument to remove tissue to be checked under a microscope for signs of disease.

The doctor can help the patient determine the cause of abnormal results and diagnose the cause of diarrhea, bowel obstruction, diverticulosis, inflammatory bowel disease, anal fissures, hemorrhoids as well as find colon polyps that might be in this lower part of the colon.

Upper Endoscopy

Also called an EGD or gastroscopy, an upper endoscopy uses a thin scope with a light and camera at its tip, called an endoscope, to look inside the upper digestive system of the esophagus, stomach and the first part of the small intestine. The endoscope is passed through the mouth and down the throat to the esophagus. It may also have a small biopsy instrument to remove tissue that is then checked under a microscope for abnormalities.

An upper endoscopy can help determine causes for heartburn, the presence of hiatal hernias, the cause of abdominal pain, unexplained anemia, and the cause of swallowing difficulties, upper GI bleeding, and the presence of tumors or ulcers.

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