Most Common Ambulatory Surgeries Highlighted by New AHRQ Database

A new AHRQ analysis shows that lens and cataract procedures were the most common types of major ambulatory surgeries in 2016, accounting for 10 percent of all major ambulatory surgeries. The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project statistical brief identifies the 20 most common major ambulatory surgeries performed in hospital-owned facilities. Drawing upon data from AHRQ’s new Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample (NASS), the largest all-payer ambulatory surgery database in the United States, the analysis shows the rate of ambulatory surgeries was higher for women (3,319 per 100,000 people) compared with men (2,626 per 100,000). It also showed that 47 percent of major ambulatory surgeries were billed to private insurance while 31 percent were billed to Medicare. Access the brief and more information about the NASS database.