Each year, over 60 million surgical procedures are performed by facilities focused on providing same-day surgical care in an outpatient environment, either an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) or outpatient department of a hospital. This means that patients are discharged on the same day the surgery is performed – there is no overnight stay. These procedures are often elective and include common surgeries like cataract surgery, colonoscopy, knee arthroscopy, hernia repairs, and rotator cuff repairs. They are typically less complex than those in a hospital setting, though some more complicated procedures such as hysterectomies, total joint replacements, and spine surgeries are becoming more common in the ASC and hospital outpatient departments.
Where's the data?
Until now, virtually no data on the quality and safety of outpatient surgery facilities was available to help consumers choose the best facility for their surgical procedure.
In short, until now it hasn't been available. Though the federal government and individual states collect some data on safety and quality of care in outpatient surgery facilities, these measures are limited and offer minimal opportunity to compare locations for care. Additionally, state regulations and licensure requirements vary widely with little standardization.
The Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey and Outpatient Procedures section of the Leapfrog Hospital Survey change that. For the first time, consumers have data to assess the safety and quality of facilities that perform outpatient procedures, and the ability to view the same data on both settings.
What is Leapfrog doing to help?
In 2019, Leapfrog launched the inaugural Leapfrog ASC Survey and Outpatient Procedures section of the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Both are free, annual surveys that assess performance on national measures of safety, quality, and efficiency of patient care. These measures are of specific interest to health care purchasers and consumers, and cover a broad spectrum of outpatient processes, outcomes, and structures in various aspects of care.
Several of the measures included on Leapfrog’s Surveys are aligned with national accreditation standards from organizations such as the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and The Joint Commission (TJC), as well as national reporting entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Leapfrog Surveys provide facilities with the opportunity to benchmark their performance on these national measures against other ASCs and HOPDs in their state and across the nation. Results from the 2020 Surveys are scored and publicly reported on Leapfrog's ratings webpage.
Ready to view surgery center ratings?
Make an informed decision for your care.
What if the facility I'm considering for same-day surgery doesn't report at all?
In searching for information about a facility on The Leapfrog Group’s quality and safety ratings webpage, you may notice that some facilities do not have any data available. As a patient who may need surgical care, it should be important to you that local hospitals and surgery centers be transparent about their record on quality and safety. Without that information, it's hard to determine which facility is the best for you and your family to have surgery.
Write to your local hospital or ASC and urge them to participate in the Leapfrog Surveys. When consumers, purchasers and payors unite to request this information, and use it to make decisions on where to seek care, surgery centers will comply.