Which is better; surgery in a private center or a large outpatient surgery center like the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA
It is hard to improve on the staff and resources available at the UCLA Outpatient Surgery Center at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA. UCLA is consistently rated the top medical center in the Western United States and one of the top five medical centers in the country.
Private surgery centers
Accredited surgery centers run by your surgeon’s office are generally safe, but Dr. Steinsapir believes there is inherent security offered by major medical centers that is difficult to duplicate in small surgery centers. Dr. Steinsapir notes that, while it is certainly more profitable and convenient for a surgeon to run his or her own surgery center, patient safety is a central focus of major medical centers, and therefore they are often a safer option for the patient. One of the great advantages of a major medical center is increased peer scrutiny and clinical resources. There are simply more people looking over the surgeon’s shoulder. At a private operating room, there is a single anesthesiologist and perhaps two nurses, or a nurse and a nurse anesthetist working with your surgeon. There is a very low incidence of issues in operating rooms, however, if an issue does arise, the available staff members and attending physicians are limited. Who is around to assist your surgeon and their anesthesiologist?
UCLA Surgery Center
The UCLA Surgery Center is not only staffed with numerous anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, respiratory therapists, and critical care nurses, but all staff members are up-to-date on the latest techniques. The anesthesiologists are not community-based. UCLA Surgery Center anesthesiologists are also academic faculty members actively involved in the latest developments in anesthesia as well as teachers of the next generation of anesthesiologists; they know their business. The surgery center is on the campus of the Ronald Reagan Medical Center with all the resources that modern medicine has to offer. You might inquire if your surgeon’s office-based operating room has a plan should something go wrong, but at UCLA you know you are in good hands.
Cost benefits of UCLA Surgery Center
Your surgeon’s private surgery center offers a convenience if your surgeon is local, but UCLA Surgery Center offers remarkably competitive facility and anesthesiology fees. In many cases, the rates are lower than those of many private surgery centers (in some cases, much lower). It is comforting to know that the safety of the UCLA Medical Center is within financial reach for your cosmetic surgery.
About Dr. Steinsapir
Dr. Steinsapir is a board certified eye surgeon and fellowship-trained in oculoplastic surgery and cosmetic surgery in Los Angeles where he specializes in balanced facial cosmetic surgery for natural results, with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques, fast recovery time, and leadership in medical technology. Dr. Steinsapir has a private practice and also serves as an Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Contact us today to learn how Dr. Steinsapir’s experience and training make him an expert in cosmetic surgery, which can be a vital part of your evidence-based treatment plan.
Services described may be “off-label” and lack FDA approval. This article is informational and does not constitute an advertisement for off-label treatment. No services should be provided without a good faith examination by a licensed physician and an informed consent with a discussion of risks, benefits, alternatives, and the likelihood of treatment success. Only you and your treating physician or surgeon can determine if a treatment is right for you.
