It has been reported that hundreds of thousands of patients each year elect to have surgical procedures at surgery centers rather than in hospitals. Over the last 25 years the number of surgery centers have grown from about 1,000 to more than 5,000. Unfortunately, this rapid growth and a desire to keep costs low and profits high has resulted in the death of patients. As many as 260 patients have died since 2013.
There are more surgical centers than hospitals and the government has expanded the procedures these surgical centers can undertake.
Before your decide to have your operation at a surgery center rather than a hospital ask these important questions:
- Is the procedure you are thinking about a risky procedure that traditionally would be performed at a hospital?
- Will there be trained medical personnel on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
- If there is a medical emergency will staff on site be able to handle the crisis or will they have to call “911” for help?
- Is the surgery center you plan to go to owned by your doctor who will receive a fee for the surgery and a portion of the facility fee?
- If there is an emergency at the surgery center how close is the nearest hospital?
- Do you have a high-risk health problem like high blood pressure, heart conditions, obesity or sleep apnea that could complicate a procedure at a surgery center?
- Does the surgery center have life saving equipment on site with people trained on how to use it?
It appears that the failure to treat complications after surgery is what has caused many deaths at surgery centers. Many of these complications appeared once patients were discharged home. It has been reported that if these patients were properly monitored in a hospital these deaths could have been prevented.
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