Ambulatory surgery centers are freestanding outpatient facilities that provide same-day surgical, diagnostic and preventive procedures. In the U.S., there are approximately 6,223 Medicare-certified surgery centers – up from 5,000 centers in 2010.
“Some of the most common procedures ASCs perform are colonoscopies and cataract surgeries,” says Bill Prentice, CEO of Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). “As advances have been made in less invasive surgical techniques and pain control, the list of procedures ASCs can perform safely and comfortably for their patients has grown to include everything from simpler surgeries like the insertion of ear tubes, biopsies and tonsillectomies to more complex procedures, like total joint replacements, spine surgeries and several cardiology procedures.”
One of the primary ways ambulatory surgery centers strive to set themselves apart from their traditional hospital counterparts is with its high patient satisfaction rates. They often provide easier scheduling, shorter wait times, faster procedures and more personalized care to make the patient experience more pleasant than navigating a large, busy health system.
“Patient satisfaction is extremely important to ASCs and is a hallmark of the industry,” says Rebecca Craig, CEO of Harmony Surgery Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, which provides care to more than 22,000 patients a year. “Many ASCs spend a lot of time surveying patients to collect feedback on how to continuously enhance care and improve the overall experience.”
In fact, maintaining high patient satisfaction plays such a critical role in how individuals choose an ASC that many of these facilities survey their patients using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS). The most recent survey compared ASCs and hospital outpatient departments based on four categories that patients valued: facilities and staff, communication about your procedure, patients’ rating of the facility and patients recommending the facility. In 2025, it will be mandatory for ASCs participating with Medicare to utilize this survey and submit data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
According to the OAS CAHPS survey results, patients’ rating of the facility for ASCs was 95.1%, while hospitals was 93.9%.
