Q. What is an Ambulatory Surgery Center?

A. An Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) is a facility where surgeries that do not require hospital admission are performed. They provide a cost-effective and convenient environment that is equal in safety but less stressful a hospital for an outpatient surgery. Patients who have surgery in an ASC arrive on the day of the procedure, have the surgery in an operating room, and recover under the care of trained nursing staff, all without a hospital admission.

Q. How long have outpatient surgery centers been in existence?

A. The first ASC opened in 1970. Today more than 14 million surgeries are performed each year in the more than 4,500 surgery centers across the United States. Eastside Urology Ambulatory Surgery Center opened in the spring of 2005.

Q. Are Outpatient Surgery Centers Subject to Federal and State Regulation?

A. Yes. ASCs are some of the most highly regulated health care providers in the country. Medicare has certified 85% of the centers, including Eastside Urology Ambulatory Surgery Center. Both states and Medicare survey ASCs regularly to verify that the established standards are being met.

All ambulatory surgery centers approved for Medicare reimbursement must undergo rigorous inspections by the federal government. Approximately 85% of all ASCs are Medicare-approved, meaning that the federal government will reimburse Medicare patients for procedures performed in these centers. In order to become Medicare-approved, medical facilities undergo rigorous inspections.

Q. Why is My Surgery in an ASC a Good Choice?

A. Patient safety and satisfaction are the top priorities for us at Eastside Urology Ambulatory Surgery Center.

We offer convenient scheduling, a high level of professionalism and safety. Our patients can enjoy less paperwork, lower cost, a more convenient location and parking, reduced wait times, a more organized and friendlier staff and a more comfortable setting compared to a hospital.

Another benefit of an ASC is value. A 1977 study conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield revealed that, on average, procedures performed at ASCs cost 47% less than those same procedures performed on hospital inpatients. ASCs are a key to national health care cost containment. ASCs perform high quality health care at lower costs compared to hospitals because they maintain lower overhead and because they can focus on one thing: treating ambulatory patients efficiently. Since 1982, when Medicare began reimbursing ASCs, ASCs have saved the federal government a significant amount of money.