Cost comparison of orthopedic sports medicine procedures in an ambulatory surgical centre and a hospital outpatient department.

Background: Ambulatory surgery centres are becoming an attractive alternative to hospital-based outpatient departments; however, limited data exist on their cost efficacy in a publicly funded health care model. In this study, we aimed to compare costs for ambulatory sports medicine procedures performed at an ambulatory surgery centre and a hospital outpatient department.

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients who underwent rotator cuff repair, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), or hip arthroscopy between January 2020 and August 2022. We collected demographic characteristics, procedural costs, and procedural data. We used 2-sample t tests to compare care-related costs between groups treated in an ambulatory surgery centre and hospital outpatient department.

Results: After controlling for age and concomitant procedures, we included a total of 132 patients for analysis. Patients who underwent hip arthroscopy or rotator cuff repair in an ambulatory surgery centre had significantly shorter duration of total operating room time, and procedural duration was equivocal (p > 0.1) between sites. Procedure time for ACLR was significantly shorter in the group treated in an ambulatory surgery centre than in the group treated in a hospital outpatient department (p = 0.01). The total case costs for the ambulatory surgery centre were significantly lower for hip arthroscopy ($3543, standard deviation (SD) $365 v. $6209, SD $681; p < 0.05), rotator cuff repair ($4259, SD $934 v. $5786, SD $934; p < 0.05), and ACLR ($3136, SD $459 v. $4821, SD $1511; p < 0.05), despite a lack of differences in associated disposable implant costs for ACLR and rotator cuff repair (p > 0.1). Material costs were significantly lower in the group receiving hip arthroscopy at an ambulatory surgery centre than in the group receiving the same procedure at a hospital outpatient department (p < 0.05). There were no differences in immediate 6-week postoperative care-associated costs between groups (p > 0.4).

Conclusion: Ambulatory sports medicine procedures performed at an ambulatory surgery centre were associated with significantly reduced operating room time and total cost compared with matched cases performed via a hospital outpatient department. Ambulatory surgery centres provide an opportunity to improve cost efficacy and reduce wait-lists for surgical care.