Jane Siegel, MD

Baptist Ambulatory Surgery Center, Nashville, TN

As someone who conducts nearly 100% of the surgeries I perform in an ASC setting, I can attest to the many benefits the outpatient environment offers to me and my patients. In ASCs, the preoperative process is streamlined and surgeries are scheduled with an eye to efficiency. Patients arrive shortly before their procedure, going right to the preoperative area, where they meet their anesthesiologist and have a chance to speak to their surgeon. This can help decrease some anxiety. Wait times for patients and doctors are minimized. Trauma and emergency cases, which often disrupt the OR schedule in a main hospital environment are not an issue.

At an ASC, another advantage is that the surgical staff in an ASC is a small group, comfortable working together and with the surgeons who frequent the centers. Nurses typically work with the same surgeons on a select number of procedures. This familiarity is a benefit to all parties involved – surgeons, nurses and patients.

Because patients who are treated in an ASC do not stay overnight, post operative pain management is a priority. With nerve blocks and good regional anesthesia, the patient is able to leave the ASC relatively soon after their procedure and recover in the comfort of their own home. The ASC model is one that works best for me as a surgeon and for the patients I treat. I bring most of my patients to the ASC and so I am invested in making sure the staff is the best, so my patients’ experience will be optimal.