Healthcare Insights
Top 10 procedures performed at surgery centers
As medical technology advances and guidelines for routine inpatient surgeries relax, physicians can perform more procedures in an outpatient care setting. This shift in care is often beneficial for patients, as procedural costs at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) are sometimes lower than at a hospital or other inpatient facility.
While most hospitals offer outpatient surgery or ambulatory surgery options, ASCs have been praised as a superior choice for certain procedures. This preference is largely due to facility efficiencies and greater regulatory controls for reimbursements under the outpatient prospective payment system.
What is outpatient surgery?
Outpatient surgery refers to medical procedures that healthcare providers perform in outpatient settings like ASCs. Patients having outpatient surgery do not need to stay overnight in the hospitals or other inpatient settings.
Definitive Healthcare tracks nearly 3,000 procedure types performed at more than 11,000 ASCs. The following lists rank the top 10 procedures performed at surgery centers by procedure volume and total charges.
| Rank | HCPCS/CPT code | HCPCS description | % of total procedures | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J1095 | Injection, dexamethasone 9% | 47.16% | Explore |
| 2 | C9290 | Inj, bupivacaine liposome | 18.62% | Explore |
| 3 | 66984 | Extracapsular cataract removal w/o ECP | 4.35% | Explore |
| 4 | J0585 | Injection,onabotulinumtoxinA | 4.09% | Explore |
| 5 | J1097 | Phenylep ketorolac opth soln | 3.17% | Explore |
| 6 | 43239 | EGD biopsy single/multiple | 1.77% | Explore |
| 7 | 45385 | Colonoscopy w/ lesion removal | 1.74% | Explore |
| 8 | 45380 | Colonoscopy and biopsy | 1.62% | Explore |
| 9 | C9088 | Instill, bupivac and meloxic | 1.39% | Explore |
| 10 | J1096 | Dexametha opth insert 0.1 mg | 0.97% | Explore |
Fig 1. Data from SurgeryCenterView database is based on 2022 Medicare Ambulatory Surgery Center Limited Data Set. Calendar year data is projected to be released each January by the CMS. The most recent data is from calendar year 2022. Accessed October 2024.
What is the most commonly performed procedure at an ASC?
In 2022, CPT code J1095—injection, dexamethasone 9%—was the most performed ambulatory surgery center procedure, representing over 47% of all procedures performed at ASCs that year. Code C9290, injection of bupivacaine liposome, and code 66984, extracapsular cataract removal without ECP, were the second and third most performed procedures, representing 18.62% and 4.35% of total procedures respectively.
A few of the most common outpatient procedures are diagnostic procedures of the gastrointestinal (GI) system, such as colonoscopies and esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGD). These procedure types appeared three times on this list, representing just over 5% of all ASC procedures in 2022.
In addition to GI-related procedures, epidural injections are also commonly performed procedures. This trend is consistent with the role of ASCs in healthcare delivery, which is to offer affordable and effective care that does not require overnight observation or other hospitalization.
| Rank | HCPCS/CPT code | HCPCS description | % of total ASC charges | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 66984 | Extracapsular cataract removal w/o ECP | 19.90% | Explore |
| 2 | 27447 | Total knee arthoplasty | 4.20% | Explore |
| 3 | 45385 | Colonoscopy w/lesion removal | 4.10% | Explore |
| 4 | 45380 | Colonoscopy and biopsy | 3.10% | Explore |
| 5 | 63685 | Insertion or replacement of spinal neurostimulator pulse generator | 3.00% | Explore |
| 6 | 43239 | EGD biopsy single/multiple | 2.60% | Explore |
| 7 | 63650 | Implant neuroelectrode | 2.50% | Explore |
| 8 | 27130 | Total hip arthoplasty | 2.00% | Explore |
| 9 | 0784T | INS/RPLMT ELTRD RA SPI NSTIM | 2.00% | Explore |
| 10 | 66991 | XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ 1+ | 1.80% | Explore |
Fig 2. Data from SurgeryCenterView database is based on 2022 Medicare Ambulatory Surgery Center Limited Data Set. Calendar year data is projected to be released each January by the CMS. The most recent data is from calendar year 2022. Accessed October 2024.
What ASC procedure is responsible for the largest share of charges?
Extracapsular cataract removal, CPT code 66984, had the highest total charges, with claims representing over 19% of total ASC procedure charges.
Similar to the first list, this list of procedures by total charges features codes related to GI procedures, cataract procedures, and injections. With this in mind, you can further personalize your ASC marketing strategy.
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