Office-based anesthesia: a contemporary update on outcomes, incentives, and controversies

Abstract

Purpose of review The volume of office-based surgery (OBS) has surged over the last 25–30 years, however patients with increasing comorbidities are being considered for procedures in office locations. This review focuses on office-based surgery outcomes, financial incentives driving this change, and controversies. Recent findings Healthcare economics appear to drive the push towards OBS with improved reimbursements, but there are rising out-of-pocket costs impacting patients. Plastic surgery has low complications, but procedures like buttock augmentation are associated with mortality. In ophthalmology, emerging controversial literature investigates the impact of anesthesia type on and whether anesthesia providers impact ophthalmology outcomes. Dental anesthesia continues to suffer occasional wrong-sided surgeries. Vascular interventions are being driven towards offices due to reimbursements, and may be safely performed. Meta-analyses of ear, nose, and throat in-office surgeries have low complication rates. Summary The reported safety supports the proper selection of patients for the proper procedure in the right location. Anesthesiologists need to develop and implement safe and efficient systems to optimize patient outcomes in outpatient office settings. Further research and uniform standardized outcomes tracking are needed in the emerging specialties performing office-based surgery.