Does Physician Ownership of Ambulatory Surgical Centers Influence Use of Tympanostomy Tubes?

Significant variation exists in the surgical practice of placing tympanostomy tubes for chronic otitis media in children. In a database review, researchers compared characteristics of tympanostomy tube placement in children <5 years old between physician-owned and hospital-owned ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals in Florida and New York from 2010 to 2014.

Roughly 98,000 tube placements were performed in Florida, including 43% at the 106 physician-owned centers, and 55,000 were performed in New York, including 13% at the 29 physician-owned centers. Rates of placement declined over the study period. In both states, children with tube placement were less likely to have them placed at physician-owned centers if they had Medicaid insurance…