Safety
Ambulatory Surgery Centers May Be Safer Than Hospitals for Surgical Care
A recent article in HealthLeaders Magazine explored the volume, pricing and quality of surgical care delivered in an ASC (ambulatory surgery center).
The conclusions are that the numbers of ASC’s are growing in the U.S. (and this is a good thing). The good news is that the cost of procedures performed at ASC’s are 55% of the cost of the same service performed at a hospital outpatient department. Even better, the number of adverse events (complications) are “significantly below the rates reported for inpatient hospital setting”.
The explanation, says Michael Cruz, MD, OSF Saint Francis’s vice president of quality and safety, is simple. The ambulatory environment “is more expeditious and efficient. Some of our patients are much better served—their patient experience is much improved—than if they were brought to a complicated medical center for a routine procedure.
At SurgCenter of Greater Phoenix, in Scottsdale, we render same day services for Makoplasty Partial knee resurfacing, Makoplasty Direct Anterior hip replacement, and total knee replacement. Our emphasis is on advancing surgical patient care to the most sophisticated levels found in the U.S.. By offering traditional services using new principles and innovative ideas, our patients experience high quality care, benefit from going directly home after their procedure and may even save a little money in the process.
Low Complication Rate Reported from New Outpatient TJA Facility
- The study examined results for 432 patients undergoing TJA at a newly opened outpatient surgery facility over approximately 13 months.
- The overall rate of hospital readmission was 1.2 percent.
- The rate of unplanned access of the healthcare system was 10.9 percent.
- A statistically significant lower rate of unplanned access to care was seen in the concluding 4.5-month period of the survey versus that in the first 9 months.
Cost
What Should Knee Replacement Surgery Cost?
Total Knee Replacement is one of the most expensive surgical procedures performed in the United States. Comparing costs for services is confusing to say the least. Trying to get pricing information using your health insurance is impossible until after the Explanation of Benefits arrives from the insurance carrier. The best way to compare apples to apples is to compare all-inclusive cash pricing (the price one would pay assuming payment at time of services from the patient to the facility – includes surgeon fee, assistant surgeon fee, anesthesia fee, facility fee and implant cost)
Consumer Patients Choose Ambulatory Surgery Centers When Costs Revealed
Freestanding ASC (ambulatory surgery centers) saved the consumer patient 17 % compared to the hospital outpatient department.
A California price study found hospital cost $6640 and ASC cost $4795 for knee arthroscopy.
Consumer patients became sensitive to price differences when transparent pricing was revealed. Patients respond strongly to pricing incentives.
Dr. Tarlow supports and practices transparent pricing on his website.
Consumers need to be accorded a greater decision making role when accessing the health care system. They should be provided information on price and quality.
Dr. Tarlow is the only Orthopedic Surgeon to limit his practice to encompass Adult Reconstruction and Sports Medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of knees. Dr. Tarlow’s practice focuses on excelling in the art of Knee Diagnosis and Surgery. He performs the full spectrum of Knee Surgery from Knee Arthroscopy, ACL Reconstruction, Patellar Stabilization and Cartilage Restoration to Makoplasty Partial Knee Replacement to Total Knee Replacement to Revision Total Knee Replacement. His focus is exceptional customer service and he endeavors to exceed the diverse expectations of his patients.
Wow, that’s impressive that the overall rate of hospital readmission was 1.2 percent. I guess outpatient surgery is very safe. I’ve been worrying about how much time I’ll have to take from work for my surgery, so I might consider outpatient care.