AHRQ releases stats on outpatient, inpatient surgeries

Editor's Note

According to statistics from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), in 2014, 17.2 million hospital visits (inpatient and outpatient) included surgical procedures. More than half (57.8%) occurred in a hospital-owned outpatient surgery setting, and the remaining (42.2%) were inpatient.

Private insurance was the primary payer for 48.6% of outpatient procedures, and Medicare was the most common payer for inpatient procedures at 43.4%.

Among the most common outpatient procedures:

• Lens and cataract procedures (99.9% performed in outpatient settings)
• Excision of semilunar knee cartilage (98.7%)
• Tonsillectomy (95.6%)
• Inguinal and femoral hernia repair (92%)
• Cholecystectomy (60.8%).

Surgeries performed in hospital-based ambulatory surgery and inpatient settings are examined nationally for 2014. Characteristics of outpatient surgery visits and hospital inpatient stays for invasive, therapeutic surgical procedures are shown. The distribution of outpatient surgeries is compared with inpatient surgeries by payer and body system.