The inaugural “Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers” ratings from U.S. News & World Report have revealed that less than 15% of nearly 5,000 evaluated facilities were rated as “high performing.” This new data-driven tool aims to help patients navigate their healthcare needs as same-day procedures become increasingly popular as an alternative to overnight hospital care.
California led the pack with the most high-performing ambulatory surgery centers (96), followed by Florida (60) and Texas (50). The state also ranked high in each of the four specialties evaluated: colonoscopy and endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopedics and spine, and urology.
The rankings, a collaboration between U.S. News and healthcare analytics firm CareJourney, were based on objective, risk-adjusted measures of patient outcomes to ensure fair comparisons. Data sources included Medicare fee-for-service claims and other CMS data sets.
States like Arizona, Georgia, and Maryland also had a significant number of top-rated surgery centers in various specialties. The full ratings are available on the U.S. News website.
This news comes as U.S. News continues to rank hospitals and medical schools, despite pushback and withdrawals from some institutions. The publication recently announced a delay in the “Best Medical Schools” rankings due to inquiries from graduate schools.
Jennifer Henderson, an enterprise and investigative writer at MedPage Today, covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences, and the business of law before joining the team in January 2021.