Outpatient surgery centers near you, by state

What is an outpatient surgery center?

An outpatient surgery center (ambulatory surgical center, ASC) does surgery and procedures that do not need a hospital stay: patients usually go home the same day. Common examples are cataract surgery, colonoscopy and other endoscopy, joint and hand surgery, and pain injections. The centers listed here are certified by Medicare. They are not emergency rooms.

What Medicare publishes about them

Medicare does not give star ratings to outpatient surgery centers. It publishes quality measures from the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting program (data year 2024): how often patients had to be transferred to a hospital, fell, were burned or had the wrong-site surgery; hospital visits within 7 days after colonoscopy, orthopedic, urology and general surgery; and results for cataract and colonoscopy care. It also publishes a patient survey (would you recommend the center, how would you rate it). Each center’s page shows its values next to the national ones. These measures are one piece of information: talk with your surgeon and your doctor about what matters for your care.

What to ask before your procedure

• Does the center do the procedure your doctor recommended, and how many of them does it do each year?
• Is your surgeon allowed to operate there? Who gives the anesthesia (an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist)?
• Does the center accept your insurance or Medicare? Ask for the expected cost, including the surgeon, anesthesia and any tests, in writing.
• What should you do before the procedure (food, drink, medicines), and do you need someone to drive you home?
• Which hospital does the center send patients to if there is a problem, and how far away is it?
• Who do you call after you get home if you have pain, bleeding, fever or other problems, including at night?
• Is the center accredited, and can you see its most recent state or Medicare inspection?
• Are there staff or interpreters who speak your language?

In a medical emergency, call 911.