ABASC 2024 - California

America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers 2024

Ambulatory surgery centers, where patients can undergo common surgical procedures such as cataract surgery or a colonoscopy, have become a cornerstone of modern health care. These centers offer the convenience of quicker procedures, with the patient typically returning home on the same day. Unlike more intricate surgeries performed in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers offer streamlined care focusing on efficiency and patient comfort.

Across the United States, there are thousands of Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers encompassing various surgical specialties, including orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery, eye surgery and spinal surgery. To help our readers make informed health care decisions, Newsweek has partnered with the respected global research firm Statista for the fourth consecutive year to name America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers.

This year, we've expanded our list to 550 facilities, evaluating and recognizing centers in the 25 states with the most facilities based on U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data. For the remaining states, we have grouped facilities into four regions: Northeast, Midwest, West, and South. We base our rankings on recommendations from medical professionals and a thorough analysis of the facilities' performance data.

We hope this ranking assists you when making critical medical decisions for yourself or your family.

Nancy Cooper Signature 5
RankCenterScoreCity
1Cedars Sinai - 90210 Surgery Medical Center94.12%Beverly Hills
2UCLA Health - Westwood Ambulatory Surgery Center90.76%Los Angeles
3SCA Health - UCSD Center for Surgery of Encinitas84.47%Encinitas
4Sutter Health - Surgery Center Mountain View83.18%Mountain View
5SCA Health - Surgical Center of San Diego82.97%San Diego
6Scripps - Clinic Rancho Bernardo Ambulatory Surgery Center82.90%San Diego
7Sutter Health - Surgery Center Palo Alto82.15%Palo Alto
8SCA Health - University Ambulatory Surgery Center81.67%San Diego
9Scripps - Ambulatory Surgery Center - Ximed Building81.15%La Jolla
10Huntington Ambulatory Surgery Center81.05%Pasadena
11Aspen Surgery Center80.15%Simi Valley
12SCA Health - Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla79.81%La Jolla
13Allied Pacific IPA - Advanced Diagnostic & Surgical Center79.77%Alhambra
14Hoag Endoscopy Center: Newport Beach78.45%Newport Beach
15The Oaks Surgery Center LP78.28%Murrieta
16MemorialCare - The Surgical Center at Saddleback78.21%Laguna Hills
17Surgery Partners - La Peer Surgery Center78.20%Beverly Hills
18Surgery Partners - Aspen Surgery Center77.81%Walnut Creek
19Scripps - Clinic Carmel Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center77.66%San Diego
20Newport Beach Surgery Center77.45%Newport Beach
21Cedars Sinai - Surgery Center of the Pacific - Santa Monica77.41%Santa Monica
22Sutter Health - Surgery Center Fremont77.33%Fremont
23California Colon and Rectal Cancer Screening Center77.22%Fresno
24Scripps - Mercy Surgery Pavilion77.11%San Diego
25MemorialCare - Laguna Niguel Surgery Center77.04%Laguna Niguel
26Carlsbad Surgery Center77.03%Carlsbad
27Cedars Sinai - Endoscopy Center - Beverly Hills77.01%Beverly Hills
28Cedars Sinai - Precision Ambulatory Surgical Center76.87%Beverly Hills
29436 Beverly Hills Surgery Center76.38%Beverly Hills
30SCA Health - Glenwood Surgery Center76.31%Riverside
31SCA Health - Arcadia Outpatient Surgery Center76.25%Arcadia
32SCA Health - La Veta Surgical Center76.19%Orange
33HCA Healthcare - Los Gatos Surgical Center76.17%Los Gatos
34Encino Outpatient Surgery Center76.15%Encino
35Sutter Health - Roseville Endoscopy Center76.12%Roseville
36St Joseph Hospital - Pavilion Surgery Center76.09%Orange
37SCA Health - MemorialCare Surgical Center at Orange Coast76.08%Fountain Valley
38Waverley Surgery Center76.05%Palo Alto
39SCA Health - Inland Surgery Center76.04%Redlands
40Crown Valley Outpatient Surgical Center76.02%Mission Viejo
41Monterey Peninsula Surgery Center - Cass75.99%Monterey
42SCA Health - Barranca Surgery Center75.98%Irvine
43United Surgical Partners International - Desert Care Network - El Mirador Surgery Center75.97%Palm Springs
44Kaiser Permanente - San Fernando Valley Surgery Center75.96%Mission Hills
45SCA Health - Presidio Surgery Center75.94%San Francisco
46SCA Health - San Diego Endoscopy Center75.93%San Diego
47Sharp Healthcare - Grossmont Surgery Center75.92%La Mesa
48Linden Surgical Center of Beverly Hills75.90%Beverly Hills
49Advanced Ambulatory Surgery Center75.89%Redlands
50Sutter Health - Fort Sutter Surgery Center75.88%Sacramento
51Kaiser Permanente - Eye Surgery Center - San Francisco75.87%San Francisco
52Kaiser Permanente - Alameda Surgery Center75.85%Burbank
53Hoag Orthopedic Institute Surgery Center Orange (Main Street Specialty Surgery Center)75.81%Orange
54Pacific Heights Surgery Center75.79%San Francisco
55Sutter Health - Sutter Alhambra Surgery Center75.78%Sacramento
56SCA Health - North Coast Surgery Center75.77%Oceanside
57National Ambulatory Surgery Center75.73%Los Gatos
58California Northstate University - Greater Sacramento Surgery Center75.69%Sacramento
59Cedars Sinai - Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center75.65%Los Angeles
60Montpelier Surgery Center75.64%San Jose
61Physicians Adventist Surgery Center75.59%Glendale
62South Bay Gastroenterology Medical Group - Endoscopy Center of the South Bay75.51%Torrance
63Kaiser Permanente - MemorialCare Surgical Center Laguna Woods75.50%Laguna Hills
64Kaiser Permanente - Otay Lakes Surgery Center75.46%Chula Vista
65Acuity Eye Group - San Gabriel Surgery Center75.42%Arcadia
66East Bay Endosurgery Center75.40%Oakland
67United Surgical Partners International - Scripps Encinitas Surgery Center75.17%Encinitas
68Sutter Health - Sutter Sierra Surgery Center 75.02%Roseville
69Santa Clarita Surgery Center LP75.00%Santa Clarita
70San Antonio Ambulatory Surgical Center74.99%Upland
71Specialty Surgical Center of Arcadia74.91%Arcadia
72UCSF Health - Mount Zion Surgery Center74.89%San Francisco
73MemorialCare - Outpatient Surgical Center Long Beach 74.88%Long Beach
74Surgery Partners - Specialty Surgical Center Of Encino74.86%Encino
75Surgery Partners - Forest Surgery Center74.82%San Jose
76Sutter Health - Santa Barbara Endoscopy Center74.79%Santa Barbara
77AMSURG - Endoscopy Center of Marin74.75%Greenbrae
78Hoag Endoscopy Center: Irvine74.60%Irvine
79Surgery Partners - Specialty Surgical Center of Irvine74.51%Irvine
80Chevy Chase Ambulatory Center74.45%Glendale
81AMSURG - Surgery Center of Long Beach74.29%Long Beach
82Kaiser Permanente - Archibald Surgery Center74.27%Rancho Cucamonga
83Sutter Health - CPMC Pacific Heights Outpatient Center74.23%San Francisco
84Nvision - Pacific Hills Surgery Center74.17%Laguna Hills
85Loma Linda Ambulatory Surgical Center Podiatry Corp73.99%Loma Linda
86Stanford Health Care - Ambulatory Surgery Center73.76%Palo Alto

Licensing Information:

If your company is listed above, you can find out more about the licensing options visiting the Statista website.


METHODOLOGY

The fourth edition of America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers awards the leading 550 ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) in the U.S. based on quality of care, performance data and peer recommendations, relative to in-state competition.

Included ASCs operate exclusively for the purpose of providing surgical services to patients not requiring hospitalization and in which the expected duration of services would not exceed 24 hours following an admission.

The 25 states with the most facilities according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) were surveyed individually. The remaining states were grouped into four regions: Northeast, Midwest, West, South. ASCs from these states were considered accordingly.

Over 5,000 ASCs were analyzed resulting in a varying number of ASCs awarded per state: California had 86 ASCs awarded, while Mississippi is represented with five ASCs.

To create the ranking, a score was calculated for each ASC that was part of the analysis. The total score is based on a national online survey and quality metrics data.

National Online Survey - Reputation Score

The Reputation Score (67 percent of total score) is based on three sub-scores:
• Recommendation Score
• Quality Score
• COVID-19 Score

1. Recommendation Score:

From June to July 2023, Statista conducted a nationwide online survey among medical professionals (medical doctors/surgeons, registered nurses, nursing assistants, therapists) and staff working in the management/administration in ambulatory surgery centers. The survey was available to medical experts to participate on Newsweek.com. Additionally, participants were invited via e-mail.

Participants were asked to recommend notable ASCs in their respective state. Recommendations for own employer/ambulatory surgery center were not allowed.

Recommendations received different weights depending on the order in which they were given, with the first recommendation being assigned the highest weight. Additionally, the professional experience of the participant was considered.

The recommendation score constitutes 70 percent of the reputation score.

2. Quality and COVID-19 Score:

For each recommended ASC participants were asked to rate four quality dimensions on a scale from 1 ("Poor") to 10 ("Excellent").
Management of the COVID-19 crisis (e.g., safety & hygiene measures)
Management of waiting time (e.g., appointments)
Quality of surgical care (e.g., procedure)
Quality of follow-up care (e.g., physical therapies)

The quality score constitutes 20 percent and the COVID-19 score constitutes 10 percent of the reputation score.

Quality Metrics Score

The Quality Metrics Score (33 percent of total score) is based on publicly available data:

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides quality metrics data on ASCs in the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program.

The quality metrics data includes the following eight measures:
• Measure 1: Endoscopy/Polyp Surveillance: Appropriate Follow-up Interval for Normal Colonoscopy in Average Risk Patients
• Measure 2: Cataracts: Improvement in Patient's Visual Function within 90 Days Following Cataract Surgery
• Measure 3: Facility 7-Day-Risk-Standardized Hospital Visit Rate after Outpatient Colonoscopy
• Measure 4: Normothermia Outcome
• Measure 5: Unplanned Anterior Vitrectomy
• Measure 6: Hospital Visits after Orthopedic ASC Procedures
• Measure 7: Hospital Visits after Urology ASC Procedures
• Measure 8: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel

For a center to receive a Quality Metrics Score, it must have reported a minimum of 2 measures within the reporting period. Centers that reported fewer measures did not receive a Quality Metrics Score and were rated based on the Reputation Score only.

Disclaimer

The rankings are comprised exclusively of ambulatory surgery centers that are eligible regarding the scope described in this document. The ranking is the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, reflects the last 12 months only. Furthermore, events preceding or following the period September 1, 2022 – September 1, 2023, and/or pertaining to individual persons affiliated/associated to the facilities were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.
The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about ambulatory surgery centers or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a facility. The quality of ambulatory surgery centers that are not included in the rankings is not disputed.

About Statista R: Statista R is a world leader in the creation of company, brand, and product rankings, based on comprehensive market research and data analysis. With a team of over 100 expert analysts and partnerships with more than 50 media publications across all continents, Statista R creates transparency for consumers and helps companies build trust and recognition across a plethora of industries and product categories.

Please visit r.statista.com for further information about Statista R and our rankings.

Download the full methodology here.