Price Difference Question...
For me, I am in Philadelphia, the surgical center was cheaper. The facility fee was about 25% less than the hospital charge. The surgeons fee and the anesthesia fee are the same. My surgical center was right across the street from the hospital. So not a far trip if some sort of emergency happened and they needed to move me to the hospital.
The surgical center is cheaper. It's also more convenient, more private, less hectic than a hospital OR. The center fee was cheaper and, because the practice has a deal with the anesthesiologists, that was pretty economic as well - a flat fee of either $700 or $800 - and yes, it was physician anesthesiologists. Make sure the surgical center is accredited, that they have basic emergency equipment there (which they should if they're accredited), and that they have a relationship with a hospital that's close.
