Almost 20 years ago, I joined Digestive Disease Specialists in Oklahoma, where I am an owner in two ambulatory endoscopy centers (AECs). Through this experience, I’ve learned a thing or two about the advantages of these centers and what to consider when joining a practice that has ownership in an endoscopy center or an ambulatory surgery center (ASC).
Dr. David S. Stokesberry
ASCs – or in my case AECs – are highly specialized, modern health care facilities in which physicians provide safe, high-quality procedures to millions of Americans each year, including diagnostic and preventive procedures. ASCs and AECs allow us to provide a more convenient and cost-effective alternative to performing GI procedures in a hospital. As you can imagine, these facilities are a vital part of being an independent gastroenterologist.
Quality care at a lower cost
When looking into practices with ownership in surgery centers, quality of care is one of the most critical considerations. Each center must enter into an agreement with Medicare and meet its certification requirements, which are similar to those required for hospital outpatient departments. We also undergo accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare. And while not everyone participates in quality registries such as GIquic – which helps us define and refine our endoscopic outcomes – our AEC does because we put patient care first.
This focus on quality leads to better care. A 2016 study of Medicare claims in the Journal of Health Economics shows that ASCs and AECs, on average, provide higher-quality care for outpatient procedures than hospitals.1
We get into medicine because we care about patients and want to provide them with the best and most convenient care possible. Because we don’t have to operate in the context of a large hospital, we can be nimbler when it comes to patient needs. As is true in other areas, the more you specialize, the more effective and efficient you can become performing certain procedures. For instance, our practice is highly specialized in endoscopy. As a result, we can be highly efficient in the turnaround time in between patient procedures. This helps people get back to their daily lives as soon as possible, whereas patients may spend a lot more time waiting to have their procedure in the hospital setting.
Performing procedures in an ASC or AEC also helps us keep costs down, and we spend a lot of time educating policymakers about the role independent physicians play in lowering health care costs. According to a recent study in Health Affairs, hospital-based outpatient care prices grew at four times the rate of physician prices from 2007 to 2014.2 And the National Institute for Health Care Reform found that the average Medicare facility payment for a basic colonoscopy was more than twice as much in a hospital setting.3
The challenges and benefits of running an ASC or AEC
With consolidation of hospitals and insurance companies, operating an independent ASC or AEC has become more challenging. The players are bigger, providing more competition. Where we practice in Oklahoma, we are the only independent gastroenterologists. The way we have kept up is by diversifying the ancillary services we offer. This includes infusion center services, pathology, anesthesia, and research alongside our standard endoscopic and office/hospital-based practice.
