Shedding light on healthcare costs: 9 ASCs offering price transparency

Here are nine ambulatory surgery centers that offer patients the prices for procedures beforehand.

If you would like to recommend another surgery center for this list, contact Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com
 
Daytime Outpatient Surgery Center (Fort Worth, Texas). The surgery center has published the pricing for numerous procedures it offers, including knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy, pain management procedures, open reduction internal fixation and orthopedic procedures of the knees, shoulders, feet and hands. Patients can also contact the center to inquire about pricing it has listed online. The prices include the facility fee, the surgeon's fee and the anesthesiologist's fee.

The surgery center, opened in 1999, is physician owned and operated. Outpatient surgical services at the center are offered by the five physicians practicing with Southwest Orthopedic Associates.

Manitowoc (Wis.) Surgery Center. The surgery center is focused on price transparency and provides its patients with written quotes for the services they request, outlining what their insurer will pay. On its website, the center has also compared the price of two of its most common procedures — colonoscopy and knee arthroscopy — with prices for those procedures in other facilities.

The surgery center was established in 2006 and offers a wide-array of procedures, such as  total knee and hip replacements, colonoscopy, carpal tunnel release, arthroscopy for hip and knee pain, hernia repair and pain injections. It includes a medical staff of four physicians and is the only outpatient surgery center in Manitowoc County.

MEDARVA at Stony Point Surgery Center (Richmond, Va.). Earlier this year, the surgery center posted on its website the out-of-pocket facility fees for 25 to 30 of its most common surgical procedures across numerous specialties, including orthopedics, urology, ENT, general surgery and pediatric services. The prices listed do not include the anesthesiologist and surgeon fees. Patients can also call the center to find out if a cash price is offered for the procedures not listed online.

"We define value as high quality care, service and outcomes at the most reasonable cost available. All ASCs should be facilitating this discussion by supporting efforts to have transparency in their pricing while educating patients/employers on the value of an ASC," says Bruce Kupper, CEO of MEDARVA Healthcare and Stony Point Surgery Center.

The facility is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and is licensed by the Virginia Department of Public Health. It has an open floor plan and includes preoperative and post-recovery areas, where parents are welcome if their child is a patient.

Monticello Community Surgery Center (Charlottesville, Va.). The surgery center publishes on its website the all-inclusive prices for several procedures its offers, including carpel tunnel release, arthroplasty, stone removal, lipomas, glaucoma shunt, bunionectomy and ventral hernia.

The center was originally founded in 2003, however it recently moved to a new facility in Charlottesville. The facility is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and includes four operating rooms and one procedure room. The 17,000-square-foot center includes 51 physicians.

Northwest ENT Surgery Center (Woodstock, Ga.). The surgery center has posted online the all-inclusive cash price options for various procedures within the spectrum of ENT surgery, such as rhinoplasty, nasal valve reconstruction, myringoplasty, tympanoplasty and adenoidectomy.

The surgery center is independently owned and operated by physicians from Northwest ENT and Allergy Center. Accredited by The Joint Commission and licensed by state of Georgia, the center includes seven physicians and one registered nurse.

Ocean Surgery Center (Torrance, Calif.). The center has published prices for procedures across a wide-array of specialties, including ENT, general surgery, gynecology, podiatry, urology, skin cancer removal and breast reconstruction surgery. The prices posted include the facility fee, surgeon's fee and anesthesiologist's fee.

The physician-owned and operated surgery center is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities. It provides care for hundreds of patients annually. It is led by Sherif Khattab, MD, a board certified plastic surgeon.

Orthopedic Surgery Center of Orange County (Newport Beach, Calif.). The surgery center has posted its global cash/self-pay rates for numerous procedures on its website, including fracture repairs, arthroscopy trigger finger release, hammertoe correction, radiofrequency ablation as well as lumbar and cervical spine surgery. The center introduced transparent global (all-inclusive) pricing for cash paying patients in 2008.

"We believe transparency is important for the consumer to make informed decisions, not only about the quality of care but about the costs for care. This is long overdue in healthcare and if we are offering value, there is nothing to be shy about. Price should not be the only driver in making healthcare decisions, quality and outcomes is more important as it is well known that poor quality results in higher costs in the long run, therefore transparency in quality is just as important," says Gabrielle White, RN, CASC, executive director, ambulatory services and network development at Hoag Orthopedic Institute.

The Orthopedic Surgery Center of Orange County, a subsidiary of Hoag Orthopedic Institute, was established in 1999. It is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and provides surgical services for sports injuries, shoulder injuries, fractures, hand conditions and spine care. The 14,000-square-foot facility features four operating rooms.

Regency Healthcare (New York). Regency Healthcare's surgical facility has published a full list of procedure prices on its website. Some of the procedures listed include arthroscopic knee meniscectomy, third degree acromioclavicular dislocation repair, Achilles tendon repair, endoscopic ulnar nerve decompression and lumbar epidural injection. The prices listed are all-inclusive.

The surgical facility is owned and operated by Robert Haar, MD. Dr. Haar earned his medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He focuses on arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle as well as partial knee replacement and ACL, MCL and PCL reconstruction.

Surgery Center of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City). The surgery center is an industry pioneer in medical price transparency — more than 100 procedures offered at the center are posted online with their prices, including Achilles repair, distal clavicle excision, mastoidectomy, cataract surgery and hysteroscopy.

"I would rather come up with my own prices and determine the value of my own time, than have a faceless bureaucrat do it for me. In that model, those people ultimately decide whether or not you are independent. We have been very successful pursuing this model and I have no reason to think that any other surgery center would have a different experience," said Keith Smith, MD, co-founder and chief medical director of the surgery center in a Becker's ASC Review article.

The 32,535-square-foot multispecialty facility is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. It is owned and operated by approximately 40 surgeons and anesthesiologists.

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