sure to shake even more procedures loose
from the inherent limitations of inpatient care.
Growth factors
New surgical technologies and advances in
pain management are making more proce-
dures possible in the ambulatory setting.
Local anesthetic infiltration techniques,
expanded use of regional blocks, multimodal
analgesia and a reduction in the use of opi-
oids to manage pain are enabling more
patients to head home comfortably hours
after undergoing major procedures. But those
aren't the only factors driving the increased
demand for outpatient care.
• Operating in the black. The biggest dis-
cussion among healthcare professionals and
payers today revolves around ways to control
the rising cost of care. Providers and insurers
are spending more time and energy trying to
reduce expenses while improving the overall
quality of care and the patient experience.
These efforts are pushing cases to outpatient
facilities, which have long demonstrated ways
to trim the fat from case costs and run lean
and mean as the perfect model of value-based
care. When procedures can be performed
safely in both inpatient and outpatient set-
tings, why wouldn't patients and insurers
choose the more efficient and cost-effective
1 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8
Introducing the
AAAHC Center
of Excellence
in Orthopaedic
Certification
Program
For more information
on foundational and
advanced certication
eligibility, please visit
http://www.aaahc.org/
Certication or contact
orthopaedic@aaahc.org.
