Current trends suggest ASCs could receive a greater number of high-acuity patients and take on more complex surgeries in the future, according to Gresham Smith & Partners Principal Stephan K. Gartman.
Here are four takeaways from his article published on Building Design + Construction:
1. Legislation in Florida recently advocated for allowing ASCs to keep patients for at least 24 hours and to let them stay up to 72 hours in a post-surgical Recovery Care Center. Arizona, Connecticut and Illinois established licensing standards for RCCs. These actions could open the door for ASCs to take on more complex procedures.
2. Incorporating RCCs in the ASC space could affect the sustainability of traditional hospitals. Hospitals could lose many of their big revenue-generating services to ASCs. The traditional hospital would continue serving more expensive acute cases such as intensive, coronary and critical care patients, while shifting cases to the ASC space, resulting in fewer beds being needed. Which service lines hospitals continue to offer and whether a hospital be sustained by higher-acuity beds could drastically change the environment.
3. Some experts within the healthcare industry believe treating higher acuity patients outside the hospital is an unnecessary risk. Others argue ASCs can concentrate on patient safety due to their specialization and consistency delivering positive outcomes. Similar discussions revolved around the 24/7 freestanding emergency department when it was increasing in popularity. ASCs should take the lead from FSEDs and establish clear transfer protocols for patients based on acuity levels.
4. For ASCs that incorporate 72-hour RCCs, designers should account for market uncertainty when thinking through space planning, programming and design. They should evaluate what worked in the past and refine those models to determine optimal design scenarios.