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Ambulatory Surgery Center

An ambulatory surgery center (also known as an outpatient surgery center, same-day surgery center, or surgicenter) is a licensed, freestanding, outpatient health care facility where surgical procedures that do not require an overnight hospital stay are performed.

As part of Dr. Ball’s practice, he performs minimally invasive spine surgery for patients on an outpatient basis at Precision SurgiCenter in Fremont, California, Redwood Surgery Center in Castro Valley, California, and the Outpatient Surgery Center at the San Ramon Regional Medical Center in San Ramon, California. All these surgery centers are licensed by the state and are accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

The mission of Ambulatory Surgery Centers is to provide the highest quality of surgical care in a safe, comfortable, and caring environment. They constantly strive to be at the cutting-edge of outpatient surgical services with unsurpassed highly personalized patient care, excellent physician and staff services, and state-of-the-art equipment.

Locations

Precision SurgiCenter

Phone: (510) 494-0800
Address: 39180 Farwell Drive, Fremont, California 94538

Redwood Surgery Center, Castro Valley

Phone: (510) 576-8500
Address: 20998 Redwood Road, Castro Valley, California 94546

Outpatient Surgery Center at San Ramon Regional Medical Center

Phone: (925) 275-8800
Address: 5801 Norris Canyon Road, San Ramon, California 94583

Ambulatory Surgery Center

Some of the benefits of an ambulatory surgery center include:

  • Lower Infection Rates (reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections)
  • Shorter procedure times than in a hospital
  • Reduced stress (less time off work or away from family)
  • Shorter Stay
  • Recovery at Home
  • Lower Costs
  • Personalized Care
  • Better Outcomes

In addition to lowering out-of-pocket costs, the biggest benefit a patient will experience is a shorter length of stay. Patients are typically released from an ambulatory surgery center to their home in the first 4 to 6 hours after surgery rather than the traditional hospital stay of 2 to 3 days. In addition, shorter-acting anesthesia is used when the patient is in surgery which allows for an easier recovery.

The main difference between inpatient care at a hospital versus outpatient care at an ambulatory surgery center is that for inpatient care you stay the night in the hospital. Hospitals are also open 24/7 whereas an ambulatory surgery center allows for same-day procedures and 23-hour overnight stays for more complex procedures.

For many minimally invasive spine care procedures, outpatient surgery can be a safe and less stressful experience than inpatient surgery. Overall, ambulatory surgery centers are very safe with a low frequency of complications.

Dr. Ball will tell you whether or not you are a good candidate for outpatient surgery, but it may be considered very safe for you if you are:

  • In overall good health
  • Not obese
  • Age 65 or younger
  • Having a minimally invasive or low-risk procedure

You would not be a candidate for outpatient surgery if you are over age 65 and are considered overweight or obese or you have

  • Obstructive lung disease (including sleep apnea)
  • Hypertension
  • History of heart attack or stroke
  • Previous cardiac intervention
  • Multisystem issues (combination of diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiac disease, hypercholesterolemia)
  • History of prolonged operating room time during past surgeries

Part B of Medicare covers outpatient surgery if medically necessary. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if he or she thinks Medicare will judge the surgery to be necessary.

Rules about what Medicare covers can be confusing. For more information call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit the website at www.medicare.gov. You can also call your local Social Security office to ask questions about Medicare.

Dr. Hieu Ball has privileges at the Precision SurgiCenter, the Redwood Surgery Center, and the Outpatient Surgery Center at the San Ramon Regional Medical Center where he performs minimally invasive procedures for patients on an outpatient basis. If during your visit to CalSpine MD, your treatment requires surgical intervention, one of these ambulatory surgery centers may be an option for you to receive care.

The surgical procedures performed at an ambulatory surgery center are lower-risk procedures like Lumbar Discectomy, Cervical Foraminotomy/Discectomy, Lumbar Laminectomy or Laminotomy, Lumbar Fusion, Cervical Fusion, Artificial Disc Replacement, Kyphoplasty, Sacroiliac Joint Fusion, among others. These will be discussed at your consultation.

The specialized training Dr. Ball maintains in minimally invasive technologies has made it possible to move surgical treatment for cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease, out of hospitals and into more convenient and cost-effective outpatient facilities.

Over the past several years, we have seen many changes occur that brought us to the point that outpatient surgery is possible:

  • Advancements in surgical techniques–Incisions are smaller, reducing the likelihood of infection and pain
  • Improvements in anesthesia allow for rapid recovery and a shorter length of stay
  • Improvements in post-procedure pain management techniques with new longer-lasting local anesthetics and a pharmaceutical approach to limit the use of opioids
  • Improvements in education for patients and families, preparation and follow-up

Outpatient surgery is recommended for select patients who are healthy enough to have surgery in such a setting and have the appropriate home setting/support to allow them to be discharged in this manner.

If you are interested in discussing outpatient surgery options for spine care with Dr. Ball, please call CalSpine MD at (925) 667-3538 to schedule an appointment. You may also request an appointment online.

At a Glance

Dr. Hieu Ball

  • Double fellowship-trained orthopedic
  • Orthopedic surgery residency at Harvard Medical School
  • Over 20 years of spine surgery experience
  • Learn more
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