FORECAST: Ambulatory surgery volume in hospitals will increase 8 to 16 percent annually 2014 to 2021

One of my favorite things to find is a forecast!  It is rare that one can find a good educated guess about the future.  This study analyzed ambulatory surgery procedure time in hospital outpatient departments versus freestanding ambulatory surgery centers.

Here is the interesting forecast:

• “Our estimates indicated that outpatient surgical volume in hospitals alone will increase by 8-16 percent annually between 2014 and 2021, compared to annual growth rates of 1-3 percent in the previous ten years.” (pp. 767-768).

Source: Munnich, E.L., and Parente, S.T. (2014, May). Procedures take less time at ambulatory surgery centers, keeping costs down and ability to meet demand up. Health Affairs. 33(5), 764-769.  Click here for access to the publisher’s website: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/33/5/764.abstract   Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2003, rc@aha.org