There are certain surgical procedures that may not be as invasive as others or they may have a shorter recovery time where you are up and walking around within hours. Often, these types of procedures are performed at an outpatient facility, like the OrthoNY Executive Woods Ambulatory Surgery Center (EWASC) in Albany. These facilities specialize in certain types of procedures. When you use such a facility, you do not have to deal with overnight stays. Instead a few hours after your procedure, you are able to go home to recover in the comfort of your own bed.
Many people fear that the treatment they receive will not be as high in quality or the procedure could be more dangerous. However, this is not actually the case. In fact, EWASC is surveyed by the NYS Department of Health every few years to assure quality standards are being met. EWASC is also fully accredited by the AAAHC, the pre-eminent accreditation body for ambulatory surgery centers. If you have never been to an outpatient center or have never had treatment in one, there are some things you should know.
You Will Be Less Exposed to Infection
When you have a surgical procedure in a hospital facility, there is always a risk of infection no matter how careful the staff is and how clean the hospital is. There are many, many sick people in a hospital and one sneeze or cough could spread infection. However in an outpatient facility, things are quite different. Here only people that need certain procedures will be there and they will not be spreading those dangerous infections. You will be much safer from infection by having your procedure in one of these facilities.
More Attention and Less Crowding
In a hospital, the doctors, nurses, and technicians must spread their attention in about 100 different directions – toward the patients already there, to new patients coming in through the emergency room, and to the families of the patients. Because of this, they are often busy and cannot give you as much attention as you would like. Additionally, you may have to wait hours to get certain tests and procedures you need during your stay. In an outpatient facility, there is no emergency room and no constant influx of patients. Your doctors and nurses will be able to spend much more time giving you direct attention during your stay. Also, at EWASC, the only patients there are patients of OrthoNY, orthopaedic surgery patients, so the staff is very familiar with the needs of orthopaedic patients and their families.
You Will Not Be Moved from Place to Place
One of the best things about an outpatient facility is that you will not have to deal with the frustration of being moved from place to place for tests, your procedure, and your recovery. In an outpatient facility, you have your procedure and recover all in the same place. This will make things much less of a hassle for you and you will not have to be moved until you are ready to go home. Your family member can join you after the procedure to give you company during your recovery period.