We studied the impact of the growth of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) on total Medicare procedure volume and ASC market share from 2000 to 2009 for four common outpatient procedures: cataract surgery, upper gastrointestinal procedures, colonoscopy, and arthroscopy. ASC growth was not significantly associated with Medicare volume, except for colonoscopy. An additional ASC operating room per 100,000 population results in a 1.8% increase in colonoscopies performed in all outpatient settings. Increases in the number of ASCs were associated with greater ASC market share with effects ranging from 4- to 6-percentage-point gains for each additional ASC operating room per 100,000. The study demonstrates that continued growth of ASCs could reduce Medicare spending, because ASCs are paid a fraction of the amount paid to hospital outpatient departments for the same services. The results were published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Links: Publication
Services : Advanced Data Analytics, Program Evaluation and Monitoring Expertise: Healthcare Cost and Utilization, Medicare
Back to Research