Guidance to high-value outpatient care can save Amino members as much as 57% over hospitals

Over the last 30 years, outpatient surgery has increased in popularity, becoming the largest group of surgeries performed in the United States. Some of these elective surgeries and diagnostic procedures include hernia surgeries, colonoscopies, endoscopies, and ACL repairs.

Also called same-day surgeries, these procedures are categorized by the patient's ability to leave medical observation the same day as the operation. While most surgery might conjure up images of heavily staffed operating rooms, same-day procedures require much less medical oversight and can be performed outside of a hospital setting.

Seeking an alternative to traditional hospital care, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have steadily expanded to outnumber hospitals in the United States. In addition to opening up crowded hospitals, seeking treatment at an ASC has a myriad of advantages. ASCs are able to better control procedure scheduling, design facilities that meet the needs of their specialties, and hire highly experienced staff. In addition, ASCs often focus on a limited number of services, sometimes even specializing in as few as one type of surgery.

Studies have shown that patients can save anywhere from 17 to 57 percent by visiting an ASC instead of a hospital. However, only 48 percent of all procedures that can take place in an ASC are actually performed in one. If the other 52 percent were performed at ASCs, $41 billion could be saved annually.

Specialized care for your needs

Knowing that you can visit an ASC for outpatient surgery is a great start, but locating an ASC that has physicians specialized in your condition is even better.

Like all Amino searches, each facility and doctor is cross checked against an individual’s health plan and our database of 10 billion claims from across the United States to ensure results are in-network and provide high value care.

Amino labels ASCs as Smart Matches when the facility is in-network, cost-effective and has at least one surgeon on staff that ranks in the top 25th percentile for the selected surgery. Members can be sure when selecting a Smart Match that they are getting the best care at the best price.

Once a member has selected their facility and surgeon, they can book an appointment through Amino. Amino assistants will contact the primary care physicians to secure a referral and set up an appointment, saving members the time and hassle of playing phone tag with multiple offices.

Shop for your surgery

Finding the best care setting for a procedure can save billions of dollars in outpatient spend each year without compromising on the quality of care. Amino will help locate the best facility, with top physicians to handle each procedure while keeping more money in your pocket.

Search amino for outpatient care →