Dive Brief:
- The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has announced a new study demonstrating the consumer and payer savings achieved when medical procedures are performed in an outpatient rather than inpatient setting.
- The study looks at four common and "shoppable" procedures from 2010 to 2014: hysterectomy, lumbar/spine surgery, angioplasty and gallbladder removal, which it says cost BCBS companies and members about $11 billion in 2014.
- The report also highlights the trend toward more frequently selecting an outpatient site of care for procedures that could be done in either setting.
Dive Insight:
BCBS finds the past several years have seen a rapid increase in outpatient procedures alongside a decrease in inpatient visits. It concludes this is due to consumer expectations for convenience, pressure to minimize hospital stays, and the ability of providers to utilize new technologies and minimally invasive techniques to achieve similar or better quality results through minimized medical services.
“For appropriate patients, outpatient surgery has been shown to be safe and effective, achieving similar or better outcomes as inpatient procedures while allowing patients to spend less time in a medical facility, recover faster and incur less pain,” stated Maureen Sullivan, chief strategy officer and senior vice president of strategic services for BCBSA.
Among the key findings of the report were patients utilizing outpatient services in 2014 saved an average of $320 for lumbar/spine surgeries; $483 for hysterectomies; $924 for gallbladder removals; and $1,062 for angioplasties.
The total average savings to consumers, payers and employers for outpatient services in 2014 are even more striking at $4,505 per hysterectomy; $8,475 per lumbar/spine surgery; $11,262 per gallbladder removal; and $17,530 per angioplasty.