The Opportunity
Patients undergo surgery to repair injury, relieve symptoms, restore function, remove diseased organs, and replace anatomical parts of the body. Many surgeries are planned, though several types of surgery occur under emergency conditions, such as trauma, fracture, and acute infection. In 2006, an estimated 53.3 million procedures were performed in ambulatory surgery centers, both hospital-based and freestanding.1 The rate of surgical procedures is increasing annually with 51.4 million inpatient surgeries performed in the United States in 2010.2 Ambulatory surgical centers are the fastest growing provider type currently participating in Medicare.3 The projected cost of a hospital stay for surgery in 2013 was $22,500.4
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1
Cullen KA, Hall MJ, Golosinskiy A. Ambulatory surgery in the United States, 2006. Natl Health Stat Report. 2009 Jan 28;(11):1-25. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr011.pdf. Last accessed August 2016.
2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NCCHS. National Hospital Discharge Survey: 2010 Table, Procedures by Selected Patient Characteristics - Number by Procedure Category and Age. Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2010. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhds/nhds_tables.htm. Last accessed August 2016.
3
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Initiative Recovery Act – FY 2009 Approvals. Washington, DC: HHS; 2009. Available at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Downloads/ASC_HAI_MAP.pdf. Last accessed August 2016.
4
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Statistical Brief #175, July 2014. http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb175-Hospital-Cost-Utilization-Projections-2013.pdf. Last accessed August 2016.