Surgical Center v. Hospital

Earlier today, I had my knee repaired at a surgical center instead of a hospital. Thankfully, I came out of the surgery in good condition and did not have a torn ACL. Compared to my surgery in a hospital a few years ago, my thoughts are:

• Cost from a co-pay perspective, there was no difference to me. I strongly suspect my insurer will get a much better deal.
  
• Convenience: Had I elected to have the surgery at the hospital, I would have had to deal with parking in a garage and paying for parking, walking into the hospital, and dealing with hospital admissions. In my last surgery, it seemed like I got rolled all over the place.
  
• Today, we parked for free within 25 yards of the front door. The admissions office was located 10 feet from the door. The operating room was maybe 50 yards from the front door. You could see the recovery room from the operating room.
  
  • The operating was clean and appeared fully equipped to handle my case. The recovery room was nice and comfortable with nurses everywhere. Much better than the hospital.
    
  • Because the surgery center is not a "teaching hospital," I know my surgeon did the entire surgery. I did not have to worry about a resident/fellow learning on my case.
    

 

The downside: Had there been a serious complication, I was probably 20 minutes from the major hospital. If you are a high-risk patient, it is probably not the best choice.