Five orthopedic surgeons shared their thoughts on key trends with Becker's ASC Review:
1. W. Randall Schultz, MD. Orthopedic surgeon at Texas Orthopedics in Austin:
"There is an interesting divergence in the world of joint replacement with a move to more expensive, computer and robotic-based procedures while we are simultaneously seeing market pressures to reduce costs and improve quality."
2. Brian P. McKeon, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital (Boston):
"Hospital-owned surgical centers are not freestanding ASCs. They are known as HOPDs. The overarching trend is for HOPD facilities to become joint ventures with physicians where surgeons run the ASC. This is all being driven by insurance companies. Hospitals will soon realize that the most cost-effective, efficient patient orthopedic care occurs in freestanding ASCs and is the better pathway for hospital networks in regard to outpatient surgery."
3. Michael Chmell, MD. Medical Director of OrthoIllinois Surgery Center (Rockford, Ill.):
"Outpatient orthopedic surgery is dramatically different today than even five to 10 years ago. Essentially, all orthopedic cases, aside from acute trauma and complex spine, can be done in an outpatient setting. Our orthopedic ASC is basically no different from a hospital, except no one stays overnight. The same cases are performed, requiring the same labor. This is a very important consideration, impacting all facets of an ASC, from scheduling to storage space to staffing needs."
4. Marcus A. Rothermich, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala.:
"In general, surgeons are getting more comfortable performing many surgeries in outpatient centers that were once reserved for an inpatient hospital setting. The improvement of anesthesia and local nerve blocks has helped make outpatient surgery a reality for a large variety of procedures today."
5. David J. Jacofsky, MD. CEO and Founder of HOPCo and the CORE Institute (Phoenix):
"Patients are becoming more responsible and educated consumers and are getting a chance to see the advantages of outpatient orthopedics. Given the choice, patients, employers, and payers are all aligned to drive appropriate patients to lower-cost sites of care and are willing to financially reward providers for superior outcomes and the delivery of higher value care."