Taking It In-House
The convenience, savings and safety of an ambulatory surgery center.
The science of medicine is all about pushing for new frontiers, finding ways to improve nearly everything. We can thank this ethos for everything from advancements in the medicines we take to new techniques in surgical procedures that save our lives.
Even something as simple as the room in which surgery is performed isn’t safe from this insatiable desire within the medical community to make things better.
“When my practice first expanded back in 1996, we built three operating rooms in our new facility,” said Dr. Richard Greco of The Georgia Institute for Plastic Surgery. “We knew that by doing that we could control the patient experience in our office.”
Greco knows his stuff – he served on the board and was the vice president for standards for The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facility and is a huge advocate for them.
He cites several advantages that ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) present. The first being cost. Surgeries performed in an ASC are far less expensive than what hospitals charge for traditional outpatient surgery. The second is efficiency. “When you look at turnover time… I can be from one case to the next in seven minutes because I have two teams.”
The third, and perhaps most important, is safety. Cross-contamination at hospitals from sick patients in other parts of the building can make infection rates skyrocket. In a typical hospital setting, it runs three to five percent. In an ASC, that drops to .1 percent.
“It’s a win win win,” said Greco.
Contact Georgia Institute for Plastic Surgery at mycosmeticsurgeon.md or 800.827.6631.
Ask the Surgeon
Dr. Joe Campbell and Dr. Patrick Buchannon specialize in plastic surgery at the Georgia Institute for Plastic Surgery. They offer a procedure known as a DIEP, where they take tissue from the abdomen to reconstruct the breast using the body's own fat. The result is a more natural look and a longer lasting surgery where patients don't have to have silicone implants replaced or removed down the line. Reach Dr. Campbell and Dr. Buchannon at the Georgia Institute for Plastic Surgery at mycosmeticsurgeon.com.
Time for that surgery? More patients are turning to doctors that perform surgery in-house and having amazing experiences 3 Advantages to Ambulatory Surgery Centers Better Results In ASCs, surgeries are often shorter, recovery is faster and the infection rate is a fraction of hospital-based surgeries. One study found that recovery times were as much as 26 percent faster after ASC surgeries than in hospitals. Lower Costs ASCs surgeries can cost anywhere from 45-60 percent less than hospitals, savings which are passed on to patients, insurers and taxpayers. The Department of Health and Human Services estimated savings of $15 billion for taxpayers and $3 billion for Medicare patients if every qualifying surgery was performed at an ASC. Personalized Service Your standard hospital OR operates 24/7 and must be able to handle any type of surgery or emergency that may arise. An ASC, on the other, hand, can be custom-tailored to the needs of the surgeon and the patient, making them highly specialized.
