title: A comparison of ambulatory perioperative times in hospitals and freestanding centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The volume of surgical procedures performed in ambulatory surgical centers has increased rapidly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ambulatory surgical visits of Medicare beneficiaries were compared for hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). The main outcomes were time in surgery, time in operating room, time in postoperative care, and total perioperative time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean total perioperative time for all procedures examined was 39% shorter in freestanding ASCs then in hospital-based ASCs (83 vs 135 min; P < .01); surgery time was 37% shorter (19 vs 30 min; P < .01), operating room time was 37% shorter (34 vs 54 min; P < .01), and postoperative time was 35% shorter (48 vs 74 min; P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perioperative times were significantly shorter in freestanding ASCs than in hospital-based ASCs. It is unclear how much of the difference was the result of efficiency versus patient selection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, USA. bhair@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Brionna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hair
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hussey
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wynn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004434:Early Ambulation; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D008875:Middle Aged; D009873:Operating Rooms; D018579:Patient Selection; D059035:Perioperative Period / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013531:Surgicenters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States