As innovation in the healthcare sector continues to flourish, patients are spending less time in the hospital and more time doing what they love. Nowhere is this more evident than in the prolific rise of outpatient medical facilities. Outpatient facilities are designed to get patients in and out of surgery as quickly as possible without diminishing the quality of care being provided.
The results speak for themselves. Becker’s ASC Review notes that outpatient hospitals, which formerly served 18.7% of lumbar decompressions, now account for 68.5% or more of these surgeries. Furthermore, 46.7% of posterior cervical decompression surgeries performed without a discectomy took place in an outpatient setting. Formerly, 0% of these procedures were handled in outpatient treatment centers. There are many other statistics that indicate what many patients now know to be true — outpatient surgery centers benefit patients by increasing the quality of care while decreasing costs and improving outcomes.
How Outpatient Surgery Centers Operate
Outpatient surgery centers operate like normal hospitals, except they’re smaller, more intimate, less hectic, and cater to a specific branch of medicine. For example, Florida Surgery Consultants specializes in a broad range of orthopedic and neurological procedures, including:
Neurological Procedures
- ACDF
- CoFlex Surgery
- Artificial Disc Replacement
- Laminectomy
- Kyphoplasty
- Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (XLIF)
- TLIF Surgery
- Microdiscectomy
- Spinal Fusion
- Percutaneous Laser Disc Compression
- Sacroiliac Joint Fusion
- Foraminotomy
- Carpal Tunnel Release
Learn more about the neurological procedures we offer at our outpatient surgery centers in Central Florida.
Orthopedic Procedures
- Cubital Tunnel Release
- Hip Arthroscopy
- Total Hip Replacement
- Ankle Arthroscopy
- Ankle Fusion
- Arthroscopic Capsular Release
- Bankart Repair
- Diagnostic Arthroscopy
- Distal Clavicle Excision
- Joint Injection
- Rotator Cuff Repair
- SLAP Repair
- ACL Reconstruction
- Partial Meniscectomy
- Meniscus Repair
- Loose Body Removal
Learn more about the orthopedic procedures we routinely perform at our outpatient surgery centers in Central Florida.
Interventional Procedures
- Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection
- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
- Facet Joint Injection Blocks
- Radiofrequency Ablation
- Sacroiliac Joint Steroid Injection
- Selective Nerve Root Block
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
- Medial Branch Block
Learn more about the interventional procedures we are able to perform at our outpatient surgery centers in Central Florida.
By maintaining steadfast dedication to a specialized area of medicine, surgeons in outpatient surgery centers are dedicated to improving their skills to better serve their patients. Whenever you walk into an outpatient surgery center, you can rest assured that your medical provider will have the experience and qualifications you need to see to put your anxiety to rest. Outpatient surgery centers also benefit from superior networking capabilities. These beneficial and trustworthy partnerships ensure that patients make a full recovery after their procedure has been completed.
Outpatient Surgery Centers Are Fueled By Technology
One of the primary factors that sets outpatient care facilities apart from hospitals is access to technology. With smaller, more focused teams of like-minded medical professionals, conveying the importance of a particular piece of medical technology is much easier than at a hospital, where the needs of one surgeon may be drowned out by the needs of one hundred others.
In other words, outpatient surgery centers are often outfitted with the latest technology to improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of complications. The variety of surgical procedures offered is usually more robust as well, since outpatient surgery centers only need to invest in technology for certain practice areas. If you want to be treated with the latest, minimally invasive surgical techniques, you should consider seeking treatment at an outpatient surgery center in Florida.
Reasons to Consider Outpatient Surgery Centers in Florida
If you’re still on the fence about outpatient surgery, keep in mind that the cost of inaction could be an even more expensive option. The longer you allow your health to dwindle, the harder it will be to correct your condition with minimally invasive procedures. Outpatient surgery has many benefits, including:
Improved Outcomes for Patients
With faster surgeries, shorter recovery times, and a greatly reduced risk of complications, it’s easy to see why countless patients across the United States are putting their health in the hands of outpatient surgery centers. For instance, over the past decade, spine surgery has largely migrated to the outpatient setting.
Today, as many as 45% or more of these procedures take place at an outpatient surgery center — approximately 300,000 surgeries per year! Patients also benefit from less exposure to contagious diseases, fewer scheduling conflicts related to emergency care, and better communication.
Procedures Are Less Expensive
Cost savings at outpatient surgery centers are hardly a result of diminished quality of care. In fact, the opposite is true. Patients are treated by certified doctors, many of whom once worked in hospitals, in facilities that are arguably better equipped to handle their unique needs at a fraction of the cost (as much as 50% or greater savings in some cases).
The U.S. Inspector General at the Department of Health and Humans Services was infamously quoted saying that a shift towards outpatient surgical care could save taxpayers as much as $15 billion (and another $3 billion for Medicare patients). If you want to save money on your treatment, there’s simply no better alternative to outpatient care.
Better Service for Patients
Outpatient surgery centers are run like traditional businesses. They typically operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and when they’re closed, they’re closed.
Is a lack of 24/7 access to medical services a dealbreaker? In most cases, patients find that it’s not. Although outpatient surgery centers are equipped to handle acute injuries, severe accidents are usually first treated in a traditional hospital setting. Later, when surgery is required to restore function to a specific body part, patients may opt to undergo surgery in an outpatient setting where they know their experience will be less stressful, more personal, and always on-time.
The relationship between a hospital surgeon and their patient is markedly different from that of an outpatient surgeon and their patient. An outpatient surgeon can provide a level of individualized service that you can’t receive in a busy, bustling hospital. For fast, reliable surgical services, you can’t go wrong with an outpatient surgery center.
Access to Board Certified Neurosurgeons
If you want the highest quality care and access to the largest array of treatment options available, you will want a board certified neurosurgeon at the helm of your procedure. Board certified neurosurgeons can’t be found in every hospital; however, at Florida Surgery Consultants, many of our neurosurgeons are board certified.
It takes seven years of training, passing a written exam, and completing an oral exam to become board certified in neurological surgery. Always check to see if your surgeon is board certified before committing to surgery.