Cincinnati Children's surgeries reach a 6-year high, hospital opens new surgery location

Pediatric surgeries peaked at Cincinnati Children’s in 2023, leading the hospital to acquire a new Eden Park location to meet increased demand.

Pediatric surgeries have climbed steadily since 2020, according to the hospital’s financial disclosures from past years.

The rise could be due in part to rescheduling surgeries that were postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, pediatric surgeries have not only bounced back but also surpassed pre-COVID numbers.

In 2023, the hospital performed nearly 38,000 surgeries, marking a 10% increase since 2018.

The increase is driven by the rise in outpatient procedures, which account for the vast majority of surgeries at the hospital. In 2023, 84% of surgeries were outpatient, meaning they didn’t require hospitalization.

Children’s will be opening its new Eden Park facility to offer more outpatient surgeries, according Thursday's announcement from the hospital.

The new facility has three operating rooms and will offer orthopedic, plastic, urology, and other surgeries that do not require hospitalization. It will add to the hospital's 40-plus operating rooms, spread out across the hospital's main campus in Avondale and Liberty Township campus in Butler County.

Rising demand for outpatient care drives hospital profits

Why might kids in Cincinnati need more surgeries these days? The hospital declined to provide an answer – instead pointing to its No. 1 ranking on U.S. News & World Report as a reason behind the increased demand.

Even so, research suggests that Cincinnati Children’s new outpatient facility may reflect a nationwide trend where hospitals and patients alike are seeking more outpatient care, in large part due to advancements in technology.

These advances have allowed many services, such as cardiac catheterizations and surgeries for spinal, bariatric, and cataracts, to be performed in outpatient settings instead of hospitals. Additionally, the rise in telehealth has simplified patient monitoring, especially after surgery and for chronic illnesses, and decreased the need for hospital admissions.

Inpatient care used to be the main source of hospital revenue. But between 1994 and 2018, the share of outpatient hospital revenue jumped from 28% to 48%, according to a report from Deloitte, a consulting firm that offers market insights.

Gone are the days where hospitals used to get most of their money from having "heads in beds."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rise in surgeries leads to new Cincinnati Children's surgery location