Ambulatory Surgery Center

Some of the benefits of an ambulatory surgery center include:

• Lower Infection Rates (reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections)
• Shorter procedure times than in a hospital
• Reduced stress (less time off work or away from family)
• Shorter Stay
• Recovery at Home
• Lower Costs
• Personalized Care
• Better Outcomes

In addition to lowering out-of-pocket costs, the biggest benefit a patient will experience is a shorter length of stay. Patients are typically released from an ambulatory surgery center to their home in the first 4 to 6 hours after surgery rather than the traditional hospital stay of 2 to 3 days. In addition, shorter-acting anesthesia is used when the patient is in surgery which allows for an easier recovery.

The main difference between inpatient care at a hospital versus outpatient care at an ambulatory surgery center is that for inpatient care you stay the night in the hospital. Hospitals are also open 24/7 whereas an ambulatory surgery center allows for same-day procedures and 23-hour overnight stays for more complex procedures.

For many minimally invasive spine care procedures, outpatient surgery can be a safe and less stressful experience than inpatient surgery. Overall, ambulatory surgery centers are very safe with a low frequency of complications.

Dr. Ball will tell you whether or not you are a good candidate for outpatient surgery, but it may be considered very safe for you if you are:

• In overall good health
• Not obese
• Age 65 or younger
• Having a minimally invasive or low-risk procedure

You would not be a candidate for outpatient surgery if you are over age 65 and are considered overweight or obese or you have

• Obstructive lung disease (including sleep apnea)
• Hypertension
• History of heart attack or stroke
• Previous cardiac intervention
• Multisystem issues (combination of diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiac disease, hypercholesterolemia)
• History of prolonged operating room time during past surgeries

Part B of Medicare covers outpatient surgery if medically necessary. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if he or she thinks Medicare will judge the surgery to be necessary.

Rules about what Medicare covers can be confusing. For more information call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit the website at http://www.medicare.gov. You can also call your local Social Security office to ask questions about Medicare.

Dr. Hieu Ball has privileges at the Precision SurgiCenter, the Redwood Surgery Center, and the Outpatient Surgery Center at the San Ramon Regional Medical Center where he performs minimally invasive procedures for patients on an outpatient basis. If during your visit to CalSpine MD, your treatment requires surgical intervention, one of these ambulatory surgery centers may be an option for you to receive care.

The surgical procedures performed at an ambulatory surgery center are lower-risk procedures like Lumbar Discectomy, Cervical Foraminotomy/Discectomy, Lumbar Laminectomy or Laminotomy, Lumbar Fusion, Cervical Fusion, Artificial Disc Replacement, Kyphoplasty, Sacroiliac Joint Fusion, among others. These will be discussed at your consultation.

The specialized training Dr. Ball maintains in minimally invasive technologies has made it possible to move surgical treatment for cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease, out of hospitals and into more convenient and cost-effective outpatient facilities.

Over the past several years, we have seen many changes occur that brought us to the point that outpatient surgery is possible:

• Advancements in surgical techniques–Incisions are smaller, reducing the likelihood of infection and pain
• Improvements in anesthesia allow for rapid recovery and a shorter length of stay
• Improvements in post-procedure pain management techniques with new longer-lasting local anesthetics and a pharmaceutical approach to limit the use of opioids
• Improvements in education for patients and families, preparation and follow-up

Outpatient surgery is recommended for select patients who are healthy enough to have surgery in such a setting and have the appropriate home setting/support to allow them to be discharged in this manner.