Ambulatory surgery and the hospital.
Ambulatory surgery can be a win-win proposition for patients, physicians, payers, and even for hospitals. The main elements at risk are high costs and the traditional models of hospital-based surgical care. If hospitals delay their responses to the challenges of the free-standing surgicenter, the latter will become as common as the multispecialty group practice. Health care institutions need to address some questions in responding to this trend: how hospitals should act to transform their bureaucratic, inefficient systems; who should assume the leadership role; and how much autonomy and pluralism will be appropriate.
Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill.
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Vaughan
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Aluise
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McLaughlin
D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004526:Efficiency; D006801:Humans; D007449:Investments; D007857:Leadership; D010067:Ownership; D011357:Product Line Management; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013531:Surgicenters / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D014481:United States