Outpatient centers can be a great alternative for inpatient surgery for the right candidate. Studies have shown outpatient surgery costs less and leads to the same outcomes as inpatient surgery.
Phoenix Spine took an in-depth look at its surgery center to determine its infection rate and reasons for success.
Here's what you need to know.
1. Many ASCs report between 1 and 5 surgical site infections per 1,000 patients while some hospitals can report rates of 20 infections per 1,000 patients.
2. One reason for the lower infections rates is the regulations in place for ASCs. Outpatient centers must have effective means to transfer patients to hospital in case of complications while also following the same standards of care as hospitals.
3. Additionally, ASCs focused on specific specialties employ staff who are experts in that field. By having surgeons and a support team versed in specific procedures, infection rates can drop.
4. Also, because ASCs are often run by a small group of surgeons, the surgeons can tailor their specialty, focusing on the equipment, layout, procedures and staff skill level required.
5. Further research also found because ASCs can specialize in one type of surgery, they can in turn experience lower infections rates.