This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Cataract surgery shifting to ASCs
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Most patients who underwent cataract surgery from 2001 to 2014 did so at an ASC compared with a hospital outpatient department, according to a study.
Of 369,320 patients included in the retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis, 237,046 (64.2%) underwent cataract surgery at an ASC compared with 136,261 (36.9%) who underwent the procedure at a hospital outpatient department; 3,987 patients (1.1%) underwent surgery at both locations.
Seventy-three percent of procedures were performed at ASCs in 2014, up from 43.6% in 2001.
Older age reduced the likelihood of patients receiving cataract surgery at an ASC. Those with household incomes between $60,000 to $99,000 had 14% increased odds of undergoing cataract surgery at an ASC as compared with patients with household incomes of less than $40,000. This increased to 20% for patients with household incomes of $100,000 or more. Latino patients had 18% increased odds of undergoing cataract surgery at an ASC compared with white patients.
“A major shift in ophthalmic surgical care in the United States from [hospital outpatient departments] to ASCs occurred over the past decade. Additional research is needed to assess whether this observed increase in the use of ASCs for cataract and other ocular surgeries affects overall access to surgery, surgical outcomes, patient safety and societal costs,” the researchers wrote. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts