A study, published in the the Bulletin of the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, examined what would disqualify patients from undergoing surgery at a freestanding ASC.
Matthew Siow, a medical student at New York City-based New York University, and colleagues reviewed the record of 4,242 patients who underwent outpatient orthopedic surgeries at New York City-based NYU Hospital System between July 2015 and February 2016.
Researchers analyzed if the patient was eligible to have their procedure done at an ASC based on comorbidity exclusionary guidelines.
Here's what they found:
1. Approximately 878 were ineligible for surgery at an ASC because of disqualifying comorbidities.
2. The average body mass index of ASC-eligible patients was 27.37. Ineligible patients had a BMI of 31.68.
3. Researchers found that approximately 20 percent of studied patients were ineligible for surgery at an ASC.
4. Researchers said, "Although [ASCs] offer cost effective care that satisfies patients, we must understand that certain patients cannot have their surgeries at these venues. In addition, we must use additional caution when scheduling certain procedures at a FSASC. Therefore, as the number and complexity of the surgeries performed at [ASCs] increase, we must better understand the factors that make patients better candidates for surgery in a hospital setting, thus minimizing transfers and readmissions and maximizing the value proposition of [ASCs].