Scott DeNegre, PhD, senior vice president & chief performance officer at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, joined “Becker’s ASC Review Podcast” and shared what he sees the surgical landscape trending toward.
Note: This is an edited excerpt. Listen to the full podcast episode here.
Question: What are your projections for the future of the surgical landscape?
Dr. Scott DeNegre: I would say the first is almost a trend away from surgery, meaning that more and more there’s a focus on wellness. There’s a focus on injury and disease prevention. That’s certainly very true at HSS, and I think across the industry. A focus on making sure that people don’t end up in a situation where they need surgery, if they can avoid it, [with a] specific focus there on a lot of spine injuries. Making sure people are healthy and taking care of their musculoskeletal system to minimize the need for surgery.
When people inevitably need surgery, I think what you’re seeing is a shift toward home. In the last couple years there’s been a real desire for healthcare services closer to home. The willingness to travel to a major metropolitan area, I think, is a little bit less than it has been in the past. And then there’s an ongoing shift for surgery that’s done inside the hospital — the length of stay is getting shorter and shorter, closer to a day or two.
Related to that, a lot of surgeries are shifting from inpatient hospital settings to ASCs, which is great for patients and providers. It’s an easier system to manage. It’s easier for patients to access. You can build more ASCs, more easily and in local markets, and providers love them. They’re highly efficient and patients generally have a wonderful experience there.
So I think we’ll see a lot more ASCs popping up over the next couple years.
