Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) are freestanding entities that may be hospital-operated or independently run. There are over 5,000 ambulatory surgery centers in the United States. Most enjoy state-of-the-art equipment and layout providing a very comfortable setting for surgical patients and their caregivers

Surgeries performed at an outpatient surgery center are typically short and do not require an overnight stay. If a patient is evaluated and deemed to be at risk for additional monitoring beyond the normal recovery period for the procedure, the patient may be redirected to an inpatient care setting to insure continue care monitoring is available overnight. Some ambulatory surgery centers are highly specialized in procedures they offer such as orthopedics, eye, and infertility while others offer surgeons the ability to perform all procedures they are credentialed to do.