Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Cost of Canceled Outpatient Surgeries Can Climb Into Millions

In an article published by Outpatient Surgery Magazine, "Cost of Canceled Outpatient Surgeries Can Climb Into Millions.
  • A study was done at Tulane University highlighting the cost of cancelled outpatient surgeries.
  • The study found that 327 (6.7%) of the facility's 4,876 scheduled elective outpatient surgeries were canceled in 2009, which cost the hospital nearly $1 million in revenue over that 12-month span.

According to the article, the following were reasons why patients canceled their surgeries:
  • No-shows were a common cause of cancellations
  • Patient Transportation issues
  • Uncertainty regarding the date of the procedure
  • Forgetting about the appointment
  • Lack of available beds or equipment
The study also found that: 
  • The cancellations varied by specialty
  • Improving equipment and resources and increasing efficiency help reduce the likelihood of having to cancel surgeries
To download the article, please go to the following link: Cost of Canceled Outpatient Surgeries
For additional billing and coding resources, please click the following link: Medical Reimbursement, Inc. Resources