Outpatient surgery performed in an ambulatory surgery center versus a hospital: comparison of perioperative time intervals.

Background: In 2005, the authors' ambulatory surgery center (ASC) was closed, and the breast operations performed there were integrated into the hospital. This change allowed a comparison of perioperative time intervals for patients undergoing these procedures at an outpatient facility versus a hospital.

Methods: The records of 92 patients who underwent breast operations at the ASC between January 2004 and December 2005 were compared with those of 92 patients who underwent outpatient breast operations at the hospital starting January 2006. Anesthetic techniques, recovery room events, and perioperative time intervals were analyzed.

Results: Age and recovery room times were similar. Complications were negligible at both facilities. The preoperative, operating room entry to incision, and total facility time intervals significantly increased when breast cases were moved back to the hospital setting.

Conclusions: These data demonstrate significantly shorter perioperative time intervals at the ASC. Incorporating time-saving practices from the outpatient setting could contribute to greater hospital productivity.