Safety
The vast majority of ASCs undergo stringent licensure, certification and accreditation reviews. In fact, ASCs are held to many of the same standards as hospitals.

Los Alamitos Surgery Center (LASC) furnishes services to Medicare beneficiaries so we must be certified by Medicare, which means that our ASC must comply with specified physical plant, staffing, safety and governance standards, among other things, and must initially and on an ongoing basis demonstrate continued compliance with these standards. We are also accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

Service
In patient satisfaction surveys, patients and their families consistently report a higher degree of satisfaction with ASCs because we tend to be much smaller, more easily accessible to patients than hospital setting and strive to provide quality care in a warm, friendly environment. Surgery centers are able to improve efficiencies, which minimizes patient waiting times. We offer superior outcomes, in part because of staff. LASC is proud to say that the majority of our employees have been working at our surgery center since we opened in 2003.

Quality Control
An ASC must maintain an infection control program that minimizes infections and communicable diseases below 2% for the year. We must provide a functional and sanitary environment for providing surgical services and adhere to nationally recognized infection control guidelines, such as those issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). LASC’s annual infection rate for the year 2011 was 0.5%, which falls well below the 2% infection rate required by Medicare.

Patient satisfaction is a hallmark of the ASC industry. We strive to provide a comprehensive and convenient alternative to the traditional hospital setting. The goal is to provide you with the quality care you deserve in a setting that is both professional and efficient.

Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) are facilities where surgeries that do not require hospital admission are performed. They provide a cost-effective and convenient environment that may be less stressful than what many hospitals offer.

Patients who elect to have surgery in an ASC arrive on the day of the procedure, have the surgery in an operating room, and recover under the care of the nursing staff, all without a hospital admission.

The first ASC opened in 1970.

Particular ASCs may perform surgeries in a variety of specialties or dedicate their services to one specialty. Los Alamitos Surgery Center is a multispecialty surgery center offering services to patients in the following specialties: Orthopedic Surgery, General Surgery, Podiatry, Pain Management, Urology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Gastroenterology (GI).

Yes, ASCs are some of the most highly regulated health care providers in the country. Medicare has certified 85% of the centers. Depending on the state in which you live the ASC may be required to be licensed. Both states and Medicare survey ASCs regularly to verify that the established standards are being met.