Measuring opportunities to expand ambulatory surgery in Canada

Enhancement of comparative ambulatory care information reporting systems will expand the ability of health care managers to assess accurately the opportunities and relative benefits and costs of substituting ambulatory care for traditional inpatient services without jeopardizing the five basic principles of Canada's health care system: universality, accessibility, portability, comprehensiveness, and public administration. In the long run, this will improve Canada's ability to provide high-quality and cost-effective health care within the constrained resources now available.