The facilities in which surgery is performed can be quite diverse. Most patients prefer an Office Based Surgery facility over a larger institution because using a private facility is like the difference between being on a private jet and flying commercial. Let me give you a short history of operating room venues to start off.
As recently as the 1990’s patients checked into a hospital the night before surgery in order to ensure that they did not have anything to eat or drink the morning of their procedure. Then, the anesthesia used required the patient to spend an additional night to recuperate. Since then, anesthetics with shorter recovery time have been developed, the patient has been entrusted to fast allowing arrival on the morning of the procedure and it has become unnecessary to be kept overnight after the surgery.
Once it was no longer necessary to be observed overnight, facilities specifically dedicated to outpatient surgery called Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) were developed with several operating rooms and recovery beds. They typically offer pain management, diagnostic and surgical services and are operated by a small group of physicians.
Subsequently, surgical procedures have migrated to an even further specialized venue referred to as Office Based Surgery (OBS) facilities, which are the next step in the evolution of ambulatory surgery care. They are an extension of a doctor’s office where typically fewer than 4 physicians use one operating room, and perform only the procedures they specialize in. The highly specialized staff allows for more individualized care.
A reconstructive or cosmetic surgery patient can take advantage of the more intimate setting because they have time to research and choose the facility they will attend. Most patients appreciate privacy, individualized care, and high quality of care. At an OBS facility there is typically only one OR, handling one patient at a time. Compare this to any other facility where there is only a cloth curtain separating you and the next patient during your pre and post operative period. Not only can every word be overheard, but infection is also more likely to spread.
My facility employs only a few of the very best handpicked assistants. It is, therefore, likely that the nurse that assists me before during and after your procedure is the same person that you first contacted to set up your consultation. We are all involved in every aspect of your experience. This helps to avoid the anxiety and frustration that comes with navigating the bureaucracy of a larger institution, where most of the staff is unfamiliar with your case.
Furthermore, an OBS facility provides the same, if not better quality of care found anywhere else. Our facility, Lennox Hill Ambulatory Surgery, is certified by the same accrediting institutions that hospitals and ASCs are (the AAAASF and JCAHO, the gold standard in the healthcare industry) while avoiding certain types of infections that are found exclusively in larger institutions
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/health/17infect.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=10-17-2007+kevin+sack&st=nyt
In my facility, I also complete every aspect of each surgery myself. There are no interns, residents or fellows in training participating during your procedure. It truly is like having you own private jet.
