Outpatient Joint Replacement: The Benefits of Surgery in an Ambulatory Surgery Center

What is an Ambulatory Surgery Center?

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are modern, specialized, and efficient healthcare facilities focused on providing high quality same-day or 23-hour overnight stay surgical care to patients at much lower costs than traditional hospitals. Each year over 20 million surgeries are performed in ASCs, with more complex surgeries moving from hospitals to ASCs every year. Not all patients are candidates for surgery in an ASCs due to the complexities of the surgical procedure or possible risk factors unique to each patient. Your surgeon at Fort Worth Bone and Joint will carefully consider the best surgical plan to achieve the best possible outcome.

What are the Advantages of Ambulatory Surgery Center Joint Replacement?

Improved Preparation for Surgery:

You will be better prepared BEFORE the surgery if you choose an ambulatory surgery center joint replacement. Your blood work is drawn earlier to optimize your blood counts and correct any lab abnormalities. We invest significantly more resources through an individual Joint Coach during the weeks leading up to the surgery who will be your guide from start to final recovery. You will meet your anesthesiologist and outpatient physical therapist before the surgery. You will have your postoperative pills in hand, first surgeon follow-up appointment, and first postoperative physical therapy appointment all arranged before the day of surgery!

Easier Morning of Surgery Experience

Ambulatory surgery centers are smaller and easier to navigate than traditional hospitals. You will be encouraged to drink clear liquids (water, Gatorade, coffee no cream, juice no pulp) until just 2 hours before surgery instead of nothing to eat/drink after midnight at traditional hospitals. Your surgery is preferentially started early in the day to give you maximum time to recover after the surgery – no waiting around hungry all day!

Simplified Immediate Postoperative Recovery

You will have your one recovery room nurse instead of having to interact with multiple people across a complex care team at a hospital (multiple nurses, case managers, physical & occupational therapists, phlebotomists, nurse aids, nutrition aids, etc. all coming into your room throughout the night and day). Your individual Joint Coach will be at your side on the surgical day.

Lower Total Cost

Ambulatory surgery center joint replacement consistently has a significantly lower total cost as it appears on your explanation of benefits from your insurance company. This can translate into lower out of pocket costs for you. Financial counselors are available to help predict your personal responsibilities before the surgery.

Who is a candidate for ambulatory surgery center joint replacement?

You and your surgeon will consider your individual case together through shared decision-making taking full comprehensive consideration of your medical history, social support, baseline physical function, and surgical case complexity. Here are the typical appropriate candidacy criteria for ambulatory surgery center joint replacement:

Medical history: Generally healthy person with well-functioning heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, brain, and metal health. Preferably not on chronic narcotic or anticoagulation medications.
Social situation: Highly motivated person with a preference for fast recovery, appropriate social support from friends/family, and has single-story living without required stairs. Insurance company that allows for ambulatory joint replacement (Medicare has approved this).
Baseline physical function: Able to walk ideally without cane/walker and get from lying down to sitting to standing easily before the surgery.
Surgical case complexity: Low predicted blood loss and no significant joint deformities that may require more advanced joint replacement implants, techniques, or technologies.

In summary, ambulatory surgery centers offer lower total cost of joint replacement, better preoperative preparation, and a more personal perioperative team than typical hospital-based surgeries. Our goal is to achieve the best individual outcome for you at the lowest possible cost. Talk with your surgeon to see if you are a good candidate for ambulatory surgery center joint replacement.