Hoping to fill your waiting room? Patient volume dos and don'ts for ASCs
There are more outpatient surgeries annually in the United States today than ever before, and the race is on among the nation’s 5,500-plus ambulatory surgery centers to capture as much patient volume as possible.
During the past 25 years, same-day surgical volume has surged and now makes up 58 percent of all procedures performed today — a jump of almost 10 percentage points from just a generation ago. According to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality research, there are about 17 million total surgeries in the United States annually, with only 42 percent now occurring in an inpatient setting.
And with the U.S. healthcare system in the coming years continuing its transition away from a fee-for-service payment model and toward one based on value, the migration of surgical cases to an outpatient setting is only expected to grow: By 2020, a full 60 percent of all surgeries are expected to be performed same day, according to 2017 Health Industry Distributors Association research.
Advances in technology, anesthesia and minimally invasive techniques will only further accelerate this outpatient transition. Is your ASC well-positioned to compete for patient volume amid all of these changes? Here are three areas to consider when putting together your strategy:
