Surgeon Owners Perform More Surgery (Biloine Young @ OTW)
Do orthopedic surgeons who own their own surgery centers perform more procedures than those who do not? A study of doctor owned ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) by the Workers Compensation Research Institute in Florida, reports that they do. The study found that surgeons who are owners not only are paid the surgeon’s fee, but also receive a share of the profits of the surgery center.
The study was titled Why Surgeon Owners of Ambulatory Surgical Centers Do More Surgery Than Non-Owners. It examined 941 surgeons, some of whom ultimately became owners of surgery centers. The study compared the number of knee, shoulder, and wrist surgeries that each surgeon did before becoming an owner with the number he or she performed after becoming an owner. The study found that the average surgeon did from 14% to 22% more surgeries after becoming an ASC owner. The study did not make any attempt to determine whether or not the additional surgeries were necessary.
The study’s author, Christine Yee, M.D., in a reference to the volume of surgeries performed by surgeon owners, said, “ASCs are more likely to recruit high-volume surgeons to become owners.” At the same time, she added, “high-volume surgeons are more likely to become owners of surgery centers.” Yee also noted that surgery centers are often more efficient than hospitals, so the surgeons were able to schedule and perform more surgeries once they were affiliated with surgery centers.
Richard Victor, M.D., executive director of the institute, said that physician self-referral is a growing issue for policymakers concerned about growing health care costs. “As payers limit price increases for physician services, the physicians look for other avenues to supplement their income—ownership of surgery centers and MRI facilities as well as physician dispensing of prescription drugs have become much more common,” he said.