What are some of the differences between hospitals and surgery centers?
Four of the more common differences are discussed below. Time. Hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and respond to emergencies in the community. This often requires unscheduled operations and procedures which, in turn, delay scheduled procedures and operations. Surgery centers do not provide emergency care and all of the services provided are scheduled ahead of time. Cost. Because surgery centers do not have to provide staffing overnight or on weekends, the costs are lower. In addition, all patients who are cared for have insurance or some means of paying. This eliminates the need to have insurers paying higher prices to subsidize the patient care costs for persons who cannot afford the medical care they need. Focus. Surgery centers provide a smaller range of services than a hospital. People do not come here for cardiac care, for instance. Patients who require overnight monitoring cannot be treated onsite at a surgery center. By focusing on fewer procedures, and perform
