• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • COVID-19 INFO
  • learn More
inSite Digestive Health Care
  • Find a
    location
  • Patient
    Portal
  • Telehealth
  • online
    Bill Pay
  • Appointment
  • Home
  • About
    • Careers
    • Clinical Research
  • Providers
  • Locations
  • For Patients
    • New Patients
    • Prep Instructions
    • Telehealth
    • Patient Education
    • COVID-19 Precautions
    • Insurances Accepted
    • FAQs
    • Policies
  • Conditions
    • Upper GI Disorders
    • Lower GI Disorders
    • Functional GI Disorders
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
    • Liver Disease
    • Hemorrhoids
  • Procedures
    • Colonoscopy
    • Upper GI Endoscopy
    • Esophageal Dilation
    • Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
    • Endoscopic Ultrasound
    • Capsule Endoscopy
    • Esophageal Manometry
    • Outpatient Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastronomy
    • Hemorrhoid Therapy
    • Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP)
    • Fibroscan
    • Abdominal Pelvic Ultrasound
    • Nutritional Services
    • Telehealth Consultations
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
    • Find a
      location
    • Patient
      Portal
    • Telehealth
    • online
      Bill Pay
  •  

Outpatient Surgery Centers Lower Costs

October 2, 2019

A push to save health care dollars and boost patient experience has propelled growth in outpatient surgery centers in the Tri-Counties and across the nation.

Medicare has also taken steps to include more outpatient procedures on its list of reimbursable services, stoking demand.

“One of the most important things talked about today is the health care dollar,” said Sandra Berreth, director of the surgical service line at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara an Ambulatory Surgery Center Association board member. “Surgery centers are one of those answers to saving the health care dollar,” she added.

Surgery centers often have high-skilled teams, and they are “able to deliver that care for a much more reasonable cost than hospitals,” Berreth said. That’s due to the money saved on facilities and size.

More than 80 percent of surgical procedures are performed at outpatient centers, according to a recent analysis by health care economist Beth Munnich. A Sept. 23 report by consulting firm Bain & Company estimated that surgery center procedures will grow 6 to 7 percent a year through 2021. By that account, orthopedic, spine, and cardio procedures are increasing fastest.

On the Central Coast, an increase in both the types and complexity of procedures performed in outpatient centers is trending, CenCal Health’s Director of Provider Services Terri Howell wrote in an email to the Business Times.

“Thanks to advances in surgical techniques, technology, and post-operative care, patients can have their procedures completed in a safe environment that decreases the cost of care, improves health outcomes and allows patients to go home the same day,” she added.

In California, more than 750 surgery centers save Medicare $2.3 billion annually, according to the California Ambulatory Surgery Association. For commercial providers, that number is closer to $5 billion in cost savings due to lower deductibles and co-pays.

“We are seeing an uptick in the numbers of patients who are shopping for the outpatient surgical care they need and choosing ambulatory surgery centers because of the quality and cost savings they provide,” Berreth wrote in an email to the Business Times.

For Medicare patients, ambulatory surgery centers are paid an average of 50 cents on the dollar compared with what hospital outpatient departments are paid for the same procedure, Berreth said. Interest in surgery centers is especially prominent for patients with high-deductible healthcare plans, she said.

Medicare is also evaluating procedures to greenlight for outpatient center reimbursement in 2020, as it does every year, which will cut the price of those surgeries in half in many cases.

Cardiology, orthopedic and spine procedures are on that shortlist of more in-depth procedures, said Trey Parsons, senior vice president of Ambulatory Systems Development, a health care management and investment firm based in Long Beach. It manages the Camarillo Endoscopy Center, which has five physicians.

“Right now, a lot is being added that has not been done in the past,” Parsons said. “Data shows they (these procedures) have been done safely in outpatient settings for years, but we are excited to recognize these significant cost savings.”

Lisa Moore, vice president of clinical services and government relations at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, said she has noticed cases being shifted from a hospital to an outpatient setting with increasing frequency.

“For those patients who can get their care in an outpatient environment, it’s so much more desirable,” she said, adding that it cuts costs and allows patients to go home in less than 24 hours. Cottage operated two outpatient surgery centers with a total of 40 physicians in Santa Barbara.

“Patients are really looking for a good experience,” she said, which means quality has become an essential aspect of health care overall and in outpatient centers.

Technology has also played a role in influencing the advancement of ambulatory surgery centers, said a spokeswoman for CASA.

At Camarillo Endoscopy Center, technological tools have eliminated duplications and redundancies in paperwork and electronic health records, Parsons said. A recent technology that center implemented also provides instant results for certain procedures that used to be sent away and waited on for verification, he added.

Written by Annabelle Blair for Pacific Coast Business Times

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Best GI Clinic, gastrointestinal care, GI care, GI Clinic near me, Outpatient Surgery, Outpatient Surgery Center

Primary Sidebar

October 2019
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Sep   Dec »

Categories

  • Anoscopy
  • Blood stool
  • Colon cancer
  • Colonoscopy
  • Crohn's Disease
  • Digestive Health
  • EGD Test
  • Endoscopy
  • ERCP
  • Fecal Occult Blood Test
  • FibroScan
  • Gastroenterologist
  • Gastroenterology
  • Gastroenterology Clinic
  • General
  • GI Disorders
  • H.Pylori Test
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Hepatology
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • manometry test
  • Medications
  • News
  • Nutrition
  • Pill Camera
  • Telehealth Services
  • Uncategorized
  • Weight Loss

Tags

anoscopy California anoscopy near me best gastroenterologist near me Best GI Clinic best gi clinic near me best GI doctor near me best gi specialist near me colon cancer colon cancer diagnosis colon cancer risk Colon Cancer screening Colon Cancer screening near me colonoscopy colonoscopy appointment colonoscopy California colonoscopy in California colonoscopy near me Colonoscopy Prep colonoscopy procedure Colonoscopy Procedure near me Colorectal Cancer Digestive Health digestive health care near me Endoscopy near me gastroenterologist California gastroenterologist clinic in California gastroenterologist in California gastroenterologist near me Gastroenterologists near me Gastroenterology Clinic Gastroenterology Clinic in California Gastroenterology Clinic near me gastrointestinal care GI care GI Clinic in California GI Clinic near me gi doctor in California gi doctor near me GI specialist in California GI specialist near me hemorrhoids rubber band ligation Hemorrhoid Treatment in California Hemorrhoid treatment near me inSite Digestive Health Care Irritable Bowel Syndrome treatment

Footer

Our
Blog

Keep up with the latest developments in gastroenterology as well as news about our practice and the events we sponsor.

Learn More

Patient
Education Library

Learn about the symptoms and treatments for some of the most common GI conditions and disorders we treat.

Learn More

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Find a Location
  • Online Bill Pay
  • Patient Portal
  • Telehealth
  • About
  • Our Provider
  • Conditions
  • Services & Procedures
  • For Patients
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Patient Education
  • Locations
  • Request an Appointment
  • Contact Us

Policies

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)
  • Aviso de Prácticas de Privacidad
  • Non-Discrimination Policy
  • Financial Policy
  • Return Policy

Resources

  • COVID-19 Precautions
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap
Copyright © · inSite Digestive Health Care · All Rights Reserved
iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com

inSite Digestive Health Care, now Genesis Healthcare Partners, an affiliate of Unio Health Partners, offers diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal system with locations across all of California.