Establishment and cost analysis of an office surgical suite

The objective of this study was to show that minor operative procedures done in a nonhospital setting can be provided more efficiently than those done in hospital and are agreeable to both patient and surgeon. A description of the facility, equipment required and types of procedures that can be performed provides a guide for other surgeons who may wish to establish an office surgical suite. The senior author's experience from 1993 to 1995 is described. Costs were compared on a procedure basis from financial data obtained from the practice and from a local 400-bed community hospital. Experience shows that patients are receptive to undergoing minor procedures outside the traditional hospital setting. An office surgical suite allows the surgeon greater flexibility in work scheduling, thereby improving productivity. The cost per case appears to be less in the office than in the hospital for the particular costs identified. The current method of funding minor surgical procedures provides an incentive to the surgeon to perform these procedures in hospital, because the individual practitioner is not responsible for any operating expenses. Thus, if costs are to be reduced and quality maintained, funding mechanisms must be reformed to allow less costly service to evolve.