Office verses hospital; Is it common to have procedure done in a doctors office?

Hospitals provide safe environments for patients, regardless of the procedure.  It is hard to argue that an outpatient surgery center or doctor's office surgery suite is safer.  Costs do vary depending on the facility but there are certainly cost effective hospitals, especially for short procedures like a breast augmentation.

juli23:Office based breast augmentation is very common because this is commonly the best place to perform the procedure for the patient.  This is due to many factors, cost being one.  In addition, some studies have shown lower overall complication rates, in addition to significantly reducing the risks of infection with some of the more serious hospital acquired pathogens.  Another factor is you are commonly having surgery with a team that performs only plastic surgery and they are therefore very 'drilled' on the procedure and its specifics as well as the surgeon and their technique and preferences.  This can help with your overall care.  This is not to say that a hospital and large ambulatory surgery center are not good places, because they are.  This is simply why you commonly find very busy breast surgeons performing the procedure in their own facility that they control.  Given this, it is very important that you do your research and assure that the facility is an accredited facility by a recognized national organization with a good reputation and that the physician has full privileges to perform the same procedure you are undergoing at a local hospital.  This is very important to assure emergency protocol are in place in case admission to a local hospital is necessary, which is very rare but sometimes necessary.  Obviously, you also want to do your research for your specific surgeon to assure the lowest possible risks with the highest chance for success.  It is difficult to be too educated !    I hope this helps.Kindly,Dr. Justin Jones, MDOklahoma City, OK  

Thank you for your questions.  It is possible to have a procedure done in a plastic surgeon's office. It has become quite commonplace for plastic surgeons to have their own independent surgery center associated with the office where they see patients.  These operating rooms have the ability to transfer patients in cases of emergency to a hospital that they have privileges to operate.  As far as safety, a greater emphasis should be placed on the physicians (both surgeon and anesthesiologist) taking care of you than the physical location, as a board certified plastic surgeon who has their own center must have it credentialed with a licensing body that ensures the center is safe and appropriate for patient care.  Hope this helps

Explore and understand the credentials of both the facility and the anesthesia provider before proceeding. Having your procedure at a hospital should guarantee a minimum safety standard; however, you will likely pay more for this location.

Hi.. thank you for the question....  Some PS do these types of procedures in the office.. In my practice i prefer to do this in a OR... is safety and more comfortable even for the patient.  

Hello, and thanks for the question. As you have seen in the previous answers, office based surgery for cosmetic procedures is very common. Though it is partially cost driven, most surgeons also love to operate in their own center where they have control of the entire process and the team itself. Things tend to go very smoothly when the whole process is standardized, and the team (anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists, circulating nurses, surgical technicians) is the same group day after day. Everyone in the room is familiar with everyone else, and each person knows the sequence and there are no surprises. This type of situation is harder to recreate in a hospital or surgical center, due to scheduling and staffing issues that occur daily.At the same time, you must do your homework and make sure that your surgeon is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He or she should be operating in a facility that has been certified by one of several organizations that look at and certify operating rooms and the processes involved in caring for surgical patients (JCAHO, AAAASF, or AAASF). These all require a transfer policy to a nearby hospital if necessary, but they also require each facility to have the necessary equipment to treat and stabilize a patient in case of an emergency, and the staff must also have this type of training (ACLS).Hope this helps!

I'm aware of breast augmentation procedures being done both in surgicenters and in hospitals. I perform all of my cosmetic breast surgery cases in the safety of a hospital where there are certified anesthesiologists and competent registered nurses. My hospital understands the need for cosmetic procedures to be competitively priced, and they provide an affordable cosmetic surgery package, which is less than standard hospital costs. If you choose a surgicenter, it's fair to ask what arrangements they have for transfer to a hospital in the event of an emergency. Best of luck to you in your search.Dr. Ted Eisenberg

Thanks for your question. This is a very important question when it comes to surgery. The performance of surgery in a doctor's office vs surgery center vs hospital is often regionally dependent as well as dependent on each individual's comfort level and practice preferences. That being said, breast augmentation surgery can be safely performed in any of the above settings. While most hospitals are verified to be safe by various government agencies, that also comes at an often surprisingly higher price tag. That is why many surgeons do outpatient surgery such as breast augmentation in office surgery suites and surgery centers. These institutions are likewise inspected and accredited by other organizations such as the AAAASF. Many office based surgery centers can be just as safe, if not safer, than having your procedure done in a hospital. My advice to you is to ask your surgeon about the surgery center and what accreditation it has. If you are uncomfortable with that answer or with having your surgery in anything other than the hospital, then tell your surgeon that. If you are willing to cover the additional cost to have surgery performed at the hospital, then most surgeons should be able to accommodate that request. If they are not willing, then I would question them as to why. Hope this helps. Best of luck to you!

Hello. Your question is a good one, and often confusing for patients now with so many choices. Surgery can be performed in a hospital, or surgery center or an accredited office surgical suite. In my practice,  the breast augmentations are mostly done at an outpatient surgery center. Bigger operations, or cases that take longer are the ones that are done at the  hospital.Good luck.

It is perfectly fine to use an office accredited OR or a Hospital's.  It really depends upon your overall health and the complexity of the procedure.