About the center
Surgical care built for North Santa Barbara County
RIVA Surgery Center is an outpatient surgery center in Orcutt, California, opening in October 2026. It was built by the surgeons of ALTA Orthopaedics in partnership with Cottage Health so that patients across North County can have their procedure close to home.
Until now, many patients from Santa Maria, Orcutt, Lompoc, and the Santa Ynez Valley have travelled over the pass for outpatient orthopedic surgery. RIVA brings that care into the community, with the same surgeons who already treat these patients in the office.
The facility
Serving the region: RIVA is positioned to serve patients from Solvang to Paso Robles, with on-site anesthesia and post-operative recovery.
A partnership, not a chain
ALTA Orthopaedics
An independent practice of fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons and pain management physicians who have cared for the Central Coast for more than 30 years. ALTA physicians own RIVA and operate here — they are not visiting contractors.
Cottage Health
RIVA is an affiliate of Cottage Health, the region’s largest health system. The affiliation connects your outpatient procedure to the broader network of care already serving Santa Barbara County.
Leadership & governance
RIVA is governed by a Board of Managers drawn from its physician owners and Cottage Health.
Administrator and Director of Nursing appointments will be announced ahead of opening.
Quality & safety
RIVA is being built around the practices that keep outpatient surgery safe: infection prevention, medication safety, surgical site verification, and continuous quality improvement.
- Surgical safety checklist and time-out before every procedure
- Infection prevention program with sterile processing on site
- On-site anesthesia coverage and post-anesthesia recovery
- Emergency transfer agreement with Marian Regional Medical Center — currently being finalized
- Ongoing quality assessment and performance improvement (QAPI)
Licensure and accreditation status: RIVA Surgery Center has not yet opened. State licensure, Medicare certification, and accreditation are all still in process. This page will be updated as each is completed. We do not claim credentials we have not yet earned.
Physician ownership
RIVA Surgery Center is owned in part by the physicians who perform procedures here. You have the right to choose where you receive care, and your surgeon’s financial interest in this facility will be disclosed to you before your procedure.
If you would prefer to have your procedure elsewhere, tell your surgeon’s office — it will not affect your care.