Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) that specialize and have high case volumes have better patient outcomes, according to a study by researchers at four U.S. universities. The researchers found that the more a facility specialized in its services –and the higher its case volume for those services, the higher its patient quality scores.

The researchers defined quality performance as the likelihood that an ASC patient undergoing surgery would avoid unplanned hospitalization within 30 days after the procedure.