ASC Week: Recognizing the Value Outpatient Surgery Centers Offer Patients

Technological and medical breakthroughs are transforming what it means to have surgery in America. Procedures that were once lengthy and complex, requiring long hospital stays are now routinely performed as safe, outpatient procedures.

In 1998, the physicians of The Urology Group sought out a way to harness new technology and put our patients more solidly at the center of their care. The result was the founding of The Urology Center, the outpatient surgery center located at our Norwood campus. Today, our surgery center is the highest-volume urology-only surgery center in the country, treating more than 15,500 outpatient cases each year. More than 240,000 cases have been handled by our physicians in this surgery center since its opening.

Typical procedures performed in the surgery center include:

• Kidney stone treatment, specifically lithotripsy and ureteroscopy
• Bladder control, specifically urodynamics, biofeedback, PTNS, Botox injections, InterStim therapy, incontinence slings
• Prostate biopsies
• Hernia treatment
• Penile prosthesis
• Prostate treatment, including brachytherapy and transurethral resection of the prostate

And while I am incredibly proud of the forethought that we displayed nearly 20 years ago in developing it, we are now in good company. Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), modern healthcare facilities focused on providing same-day surgical care, have transformed the outpatient experience by providing patients with a more convenient alternative to hospital-based stays. During National ASC Week, Aug. 7- 11, we recognize all of those surgical centers and the staffs who put patients ahead of profits and deliver extraordinary, cost-effective outpatient care.

By operating in ACSs instead of hospitals, physicians gain increased control over their surgical practices. In a surgical center setting, physicians and other medical staff can tailor the surgery experience more specifically to the needs of the patients and the staff. ASCs can provide physicians with more professional freedom over their work environment and the quality of care provided. The result is high patient satisfaction levels at a time when patients are at odds with most of America’s healthcare system.

In addition to a more patient-centric approach to care, ASCs deliver more cost-effective care. Less expensive treatment saves billions of dollars for those involved in the payment process — patients, private insurance and Medicaid. And it is certain that ASCs will continue to play an essential role in healthcare, especially as the American population ages.