“Ambulatory surgery centers represent what everyone — patient, provider and payer — seems to want [in healthcare],” said Dr. Shapiro.
According to the report, a 2009 analysis from KNG Health Consulting cites a historic shift away from hospital inpatient surgeries toward outpatient surgeries. The increased use of technological advances such as laparoscopic surgery and improved anesthesia have contributed to the growth of surgery centers over the last 40 years.
According to Dr. Shapiro, the ASC system “benefits from the repetition and specialization: preoperative nursing care, interoperative medical care of an anesthesiologist, radiologist or surgeon, and postoperative care,” he said. He responded to criticism of ASC quality standards by saying that ASCs have “all the necessary safeguards in place” to manage an emergency and ensure patient safety.
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