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MARSHALL - When his patients needed minor surgery to help deal with joint pain or a sports injury, they used to have to make a trip to the hospital, Dr. Anthony Nwakama said. Now, same-day procedures just mean going next door.

Nwakama's practice, Southwest Minnesota Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, has had about a year to settle in at its new clinic near the old Greenwood Nursery location on Highway 23. The adjoining Southwest Minnesota Surgical Center has been open since July. Nwakama said the new clinic is more open than its old location on East College Drive, and was designed to be welcoming to patients, as well as more efficient.

"We want it to feel friendly," Nwakama said. "When we were on East College Drive, it was a more narrow space."

Nwakama has worked in the Marshall area for about 10 years, he said, but the switch to having his own clinic meant a more flexible schedule for seeing patients. He splits his time between offices in Marshall and Slayton.

The surgical center represented one of the biggest changes in what he Marshall office can offer patients, Nwakama said.

"Having the surgical center, it's more efficient, and it's also very cost-effective," Nwakama said. "We still do bigger surgeries in the hospital," but the surgical center is ideal for same-day procedures like carpal tunnel or arthroscopic surgery.

"Anything done on an outpatient basis," said office manager Jody Jackels.

At the same time, Nwakama said, it doesn't sacrifice quality of care.

"We have the same quality assurance," he said.

The surgical center's operating room and patient recovery area are like a smaller version of what you'd see in a hospital, and had to go through the same state certification process, Jackels said.

Nwakama said there are also some things at the new clinic that he couldn't offer before, like ultrasound and open MRI scans. The open MRI technology lets doctors take detailed scans of patients, without them having to lie inside the tunnel-like opening of a regular MRI machine.

"It's not as claustrophobic," Nwakama said.

Working through the clinic construction was "interesting to do," Nwakama said. "Putting in the MRI was a big deal, because they have to get a crane."

He said the clinic did go green with one part of its design, the solar panels on the roof.

In the end, Nwakama said, the new clinic space is also a way to give back to patients and the community, by making their experiences positive. The treatment they receive can have a big impact on their lives.

"I've had good patients, who appreciate what I do, and hopefully we're making a difference in people's lives," he said.