ESTABLISHMENT AND COST-ANALYSIS OF AN OFFICE SURGICAL SUITE

The objective of this study was to show that minor operative procedure s done in a nonhospital setting can be provided more efficiently than those done in hospital and are agreeable to both patient and surgeon. A description of the facility, equipment required and types of procedu res that can be performed provides a guide for other surgeons who may wish to establish an office surgical suite. The senior author's experi ence from 1993 to 1995 is described. Costs were compared on a procedur e basis from financial data obtained from the practice and from a loca l 400-bed community hospital. Experience shows that patients are recep tive to undergoing minor procedures outside the traditional hospital s etting. An office surgical suite allows the surgeon greater flexibilit y in work scheduling, thereby improving productivity. The cost per cas e appears to be less in the office than in the hospital for the partic ular costs identified. The current method of funding minor surgical pr ocedures provides an incentive to the surgeon to perform these procedu res in hospital, because the individual practitioner is not responsibl e for any operating expenses. Thus, if costs are to be reduced and qua lity maintained, funding mechanisms must be reformed to allow less cos tly service to evolve.