1 4 • 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
More and more
patients are having
cataract surgery at an
ambulatory surgical
center (ASC) rather
than at a hospital out-
patient department
(HOPD), according to
research published in
JAMA Ophthalmology
(osmag.net/rgG4MP).
The study's authors
looked at cataract
surgeries performed
between 2001 and
2014. Of 369,320
patients included in
the study, 64.2% underwent cataract surgery at an ASC, com-
pared with 36.9% who underwent the procedure at an HOPD.
Overall, 73% of procedures were performed at ASCs in 2014, up
from 43.6% in 2001.
Convenience and cost-effective care spurred the major shift of
cases to ASCs. In 2014, patients paid an average of $190 for
cataract surgery in an ASC, compared with $350 at a hospital.
Cataract surgeries performed in ASCs instead of hospitals saved
Medicare $829 million in 2011, according to the study.
— Kendal Gapinski
TREND WATCH
Cataracts on the Move to ASCs
• SIGHT SHIFT Overall convenience, lower out-of-pocket expense for
patients and decreased costs for insurers are contributing to the trend.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
