Dr. Golino had come to West Palm Beach in 1980 and was interested in cataract and intraocular lens implant surgery which was in its infancy. He believed that this surgery could be done safely under local anesthesia and without a hospital stay. Because facilities at that time were very limited and fragmented, he decided to establish a clinic where such surgery could be done safely, easily and quickly.
Thus the Palm Beach Eye Clinic was built. It featured a fully equipped surgical center with microsurgical capabilities, outpatient anesthesia geared to eye surgery, special infection control equipment like high flow, high pressure laminar flow air conditioning, special eye surgery beds, large intraocular lens implant consignments, dedicated eye surgical nursing and anesthesia personnel, institutional review board, quality assurance program and handicapped facilities. In 1987, the State of Florida recognized the need for such dedicated facilities and Palm Beach Eye Clinic was among the first Licensed Ambulatory Surgical centers in the state. Its license number was 007. In that same year, the Palm Beach Eye Clinic received national Medicare Certification as an Ambulatory Surgical Center.
The Quality Assurance and Risk Management program of the Palm Beach Eye Clinic goes back to 1983, before the dawn of quality assurance programs.
The cornerstones of this program are:
Over the years, the facility has grown and now provides a board-certified medical staff which provides complete eye care. The staff collaborates with many other physicians across the globe, maintains privileges at both Good Samaritan and St. Mary’s Hospitals and sees thousands of patients per year. The staff treats patients of all ages and backgrounds including the poor and participates in numerous pro bono activities both in the United States and overseas. The staff and the facility have won numerous awards including the Physician Recognition awards (many), and the America’s Top Ophthalmologists Award.