Optimizing Durable Medical Equipment at an Ambulatory Surgery Center

Orthopaedic outpatient surgery in the form of Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) continues to rise over the past several decades with enhancements for the patient and organization that includes ease of convenience, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness when examining the comparison to a traditional hospital with outpatient departments (Wang, K. Y., Puvanesarajah, V., Marrache, M., Ficke, J. R., Levy, J. F., & Jain, A. (2022). Ambulatory surgery centers versus hospital outpatient departments for orthopaedic surgeries. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 30(5), 207-214). Furthermore, the rise of ASCs also includes various ownership models such as a sole physician, ASC management company, or a health system, which also commonly results in a blend of all three elements based on the strategy of the group. The purpose of this brief is to examine the unique delivery role that durable medical equipment (DME) plays in the care for patients following an orthopaedic surgery at an ASC when providing DME by Certified Athletic Trainers. Optimizing Certified Athletic Trainers in the ASC space creates opportunities for improving patient satisfaction and surgical staff burden while adding revenue to the ASC.