If you’ve been scheduled for surgery, your doctor may give you the option of having your surgery done at an ambulatory surgery center. Ambulatory surgical centers are facilities where a surgical or diagnostic procedure can be performed, and the patient doesn’t have to stay overnight. Examples of surgical procedures there might include hernia repair, eye surgeries, and joint arthroscopy, while diagnostic procedures can consist of colonoscopies and biopsies.
Why Choose an Ambulatory Surgery Center?
Choosing the right ambulatory center may help to review some of the main reasons clients prefer an ambulatory center to a hospital for their procedure. According to the Raleigh Surgery Center, your procedure will likely cost less at an ambulatory center; your bill will be 45% to 60% less than having the same procedure done at a hospital. In addition, a study by the Centers for Disease Control estimated that in 2010, almost 0.9% of hospital patients developed post-surgical wounds, while patients at ambulatory surgery centers developed less than 0.5% of post-surgical wounds during the same year.
Here are three signs you’ve found a center worth scheduling your surgery at.
1. Compliance With Medical Regulations
When searching for a facility for ambulatory surgery, a prospective client will want to be sure the facility follows medical regulations. The U.S. government imposes regulations on the facilities because clients’ health and lives are at stake. According to Hub Healthcare, ambulatory surgery centers must devise and comply with an infection control policy that lists regulations, including using personal protective equipment during all patient procedures.
Since ambulatory surgery centers are intended for procedures that don’t require overnight accommodation, these facilities must also have and comply with a list of emergency preparedness rules. In addition, if the facilities don’t comply with pharmaceutical regulations regarding hazardous waste, those facilities can incur fines of up to $37,500 daily per incident. Those regulations involve the safe disposal of needles and other sharp objects as well as documentation of narcotic administration.
2. Kind and Competent Surgeons and Nurses
Although clients who have procedures at an ambulatory surgery center may not be as anxious as patients in a hospital, they may still feel some fear about their upcoming procedures. Nurses and surgeons who work in these facilities must anticipate that fear. One of the best ways for nurses to alleviate their clients’ fears is to clearly explain the upcoming surgery in ways that the patients can understand. According to the Nursing Center, preoperative teaching and emotional support are the keys to reducing patients’ fears about a surgical procedure.
3. Up to Date with Safety and Maintenance
Safety is a vital concern in any healthcare setting, and ambulatory surgical centers will impose many of the same safety regulations as those needed in a hospital operating room. In addition, the facility will be required to obey the same state regulations as other buildings regarding protecting their facility from fires. According to the NFPA25 Code, periodic visual inspections of the building’s fire protection system must ensure the devices are up-to-date and working as intended. The frequency of fire protection system inspection is set by the state, according to the facility’s age, and could be monthly, quarterly, twice a year, annually, or at five-year to 10-year intervals.
Safety takes on an additional dimension when it comes to diagnostic and patient monitoring tools. Those devices must be accurate to produce results that can predict or direct patient outcomes. According to the Department of Energy, testing those devices regularly (sometimes called predictive maintenance) can reduce facility downtime by up to 45% and decrease the frequency of broken patient equipment by more than 70%.
Knowing where an ambulatory facility stands regarding safety and regulatory compliance can be very reassuring as you make an appointment for surgery or a diagnostic procedure. When you call the office for an appointment, ask if you can tour the facility before your surgery. If that isn’t permitted, ask the facility about their compliance with state regulations.
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