The Architects of Tomorrow's Care: Part Three

Arkansas Children's reputation as a pediatric surgical leader speaks for itself in the improved lives of every patient who walks through our doors. It is more than a hospital, but a place that prioritizes every part of a child's medical experience. With the opening of Champions Pavilion, a 157,916-square-foot outpatient care facility on the Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock campus in mid-2026, it will allow families to have easier access to expert outpatient pediatric care in ear, nose and throat (ENT), vascular anomalies, gastroenterology, urology, orthopedics, sports medicine and general surgery.   

Arkansas Children's is a leader in outpatient surgical care for children. Minimally invasive adolescent surgical care is a key component of our surgical program.   

Part three of this series highlights how medical architects M. Sidney Dassinger III., M.D., general surgery, and Ashay Patel, D.O., urology, will make their mark on the new facility.    

  

Adolescents and Minimally Invasive Surgeries 

Our cutting-edge outpatient surgeries often require little to no general anesthesia for adolescents, including transnasal endoscopies and laser treatments for vascular anomalies.   

Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Dassinger, a craftsman of general surgeries, said families bringing their child for outpatient procedures, like congenital hernia repairs, including inguinal, umbilical and epigastric, will benefit from easier access to the facility rather than having to navigate the hospital.    

Arkansas Children’s utilizes technology like lasers and robots.    

"Champions Pavilion, we will perform all sorts of laparoscopies. We do those for inguinal hernias and gallbladder operations in older kids. It frees up space by moving cases to the facility. We started using a surgical robot for a lot more minimally invasive general surgery procedures in the chest, esophagus, stomach, colon and gallbladder," Dr. Dassinger said. "We will not have a robot at the outpatient facility. However, since we have one in ACH's main operating room, moving patients will provide more access."   

Statewide, the health system performs 83% of general surgeries and 89% of urology surgeries in children under 5.  

Dr. Patel, a hero of pediatric urology, said the top outpatient surgeries for Arkansas Children's urology are penile surgeries, including circumcision, hypospadias and orchiopexy. In 2024, urology had a 0% complication rate for unplanned admissions within 30 days following an outpatient urology procedure.   

"Based on the procedures we do in our current location, 99% of those we will be able to do in Champions Pavilion," Patel said. "This will allow patients to come in more easily and not go through the main hospital. It'll be more of a quicker pre-op evaluation. And then an easier discharge from the hospital."  

Dr. Dassinger said some outpatient procedures can be minimally invasive in a pediatric setting. He added that Champions Pavilion will continue Arkansas Children's reputation of providing the best care for individualized pediatric needs.    

"Pilonidal disease is a common skin condition that occurs in adolescents, and it can cause a cyst or abscess near the tailbone when hair and other debris become trapped beneath the skin. At an adult hospital, they're probably going to get that skin cut out, which leads to a painful and long recovery. At Arkansas Children's, we treat them in the clinic with lasers," Dr. Dassinger said. "In general, for children who don't tolerate clinic procedures very well or if they have special needs, like autism, they can be treated in the outpatient setting."    

Dr. Patel explained that while all adult-focused surgeons have some training in pediatrics, every Arkansas Children’s team member is an expert in pediatric care.   

"The Arkansas Children's Hospital Champions Pavilion is unique because it offers outpatient pediatric cases, specifically pediatric urology, but it's more than the surgical skill - it's the whole pediatric team. It's the pediatric nurses, pediatric anesthesiologists and the focus of caring for your child in a pediatric environment," Dr. Patel said.   

  

Shaping Tomorrow’s Care  

Two of our architects of tomorrow’s care shared some of their proudest accomplishments at Arkansas Children’s, and how Champions Pavilion is the next step for transforming the care they provide.  

  

The Pediatric Surgical Craftsman   

M. Sidney Dassinger III., M.D., a pediatric surgeon, chief of pediatric general surgery and medical director of surgical quality at Arkansas Children’s and professor of pediatric surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)

In his 18 years at Arkansas Children's, Dr. Dassinger said he's proud of his team's selfless and expert care, from focusing on patients first to groundbreaking research. He said that the team is growing several programs, like the colorectal center, allowing patients to have a one-stop shop for colorectal conditions affecting the colon. As medical director of surgical quality, becoming a Level 1 Surgery Center was a highlight of his career. This distinction goes beyond general surgery; every patient on campus who undergoes anesthesia has the highest level of care against the most rigorous standards in pediatric medicine. Those same high standards will be present in Champions Pavilion.    

"With new facilities specifically designed for outpatient efficiency, families will have unprecedented access to the highest level of children's care from a general surgery standpoint. You get that efficiency, and it's child-centered. You have experts like child life specialists and board-certified pediatric anesthesiologists taking care of your child. Everything we do centers around, 'How can we make the experience the best for patients and their families?'" - Dr. Dassinger   

  

The Hero of Pediatric Urology   

Ashay Patel, D.O., a pediatric urologist and chief of urology at Arkansas Children’s and associate professor of urology at UAMS

Before Dr. Patel joined Arkansas Children's in 2011, there was no core group of pediatric urologists serving the state. He quickly built his team of pediatric superheroes. Since then, they've had at least three leading providers, and their team members, including three APRNs, boast longevity. It has created stability for the program and the opportunity for collaboration between specialties. As part of the Arkansas Children's expansion, the urology clinics will move to a new dedicated space in the hospital, including a urodynamics room, procedure rooms and ultrasound rooms, which will expedite care in one place. The nephrology clinics will be adjacent, allowing for closer multispecialty care. Patel, along with Chief of Nephrology Richard T. Blaszak, M.D., will co-direct the Pediatric Center for Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders, one of the nation's few formally organized children's hospital kidney centers. It will be the only one within a 700-plus-mile radius. 

"Champions Pavilion will allow us to get kids in and out of the operating room environment more seamlessly. They'll have, hopefully, shorter wait times before surgery. They'll get the same excellent surgical care that we currently provide, and this will expedite their discharge when it's safe for them to go home." - Dr. Patel   
 

This article was written by the Arkansas Children’s content team and medically reviewed by Sid M. Dassinger III., M.D., and Ashay Patel, D.O.