When compared to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) allow for faster, more efficient breast surgery procedures according to a study published by the American Journal of Surgery.
Most of the time savings possible in an ASC facility was attributable to decreased preoperative time, or time spent preparing for surgery, although the study noted that breast surgery patients spend an almost identical amount of time in an ASC as a hospital once they reach the operating room.
ASC vs. hospital
Unlike a hospital, an ASC has static, single surgeon per room outpatient breast surgery case assignments, as well as the ability to avoid unscheduled case additions, such as emergencies and add-ons.
An ambulatory surgery center is also smaller than a hospital, so there is less physical distance to move patients and equipment, and smaller, more consistent long-term staff typically allows an ASC to operate more smoothly than a hospital.
ASC before and after breast surgery
The type of anesthesia used during surgery can also influence how long before a breast surgery patient can leave the hospital or surgical facility after the surgical procedure, however this did not significantly affect overall start to finish time of surgery from the preparation stage to the patient discharge, or release, stage.
So, while the study certainly supports the common perception that outpatient surgery can be more efficiently performed in dedicated outpatient surgical centers outside of hospitals, it identifies that the time savings benefits of an ASC are only offered during the preoperative, or preparation, stage of a breast surgery procedure.
Outpatient breast surgery study details
Authors Drs. Terrence Trentman, Jeff Mueller, Richard Gray, Barbara Pockaj and Daniel Simula began this study in 2005, after their surgery practice ASC was closed. All outpatient breast surgeries then needed to be alternatively performed in a hospital setting, which allowed researchers to compare the amount of time breast surgery patients spent in the hospital facility versus the ASC facility.
Very much appreciated this article. You might want to also compare costs. The ASC environment most often costs significantly less than a hospital. Because of the pre-operative savings and other efficiencies, the actual cost to the ASC should be lower; I wonder why that wasn’t mentioned in your piece….