{
  "slug": "surgery-center-case-cost",
  "title": "Surgery Center Case Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Ambulatory Surgery Center Case Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/surgery-center-case-cost",
  "summary": "Break down true cost per surgical case and margin against facility fee reimbursement.",
  "description": "Ambulatory surgery centers compete on case cost control since facility fee reimbursement is largely fixed by payer contract, not negotiable case by case. This calculator sums implant/device cost, disposable supply cost, OR time cost (staff and overhead cost per minute times case length), and post-op recovery cost to get total case cost, then compares it against the facility fee reimbursement to show margin per case. OR time cost is the biggest lever most centers underweight — a $45/minute fully loaded OR cost means a case running 20 minutes over schedule costs $900 more, often erasing the entire case margin on lower-reimbursing procedures. This is why case-length variance and turnover time matter as much as supply cost negotiation for ASC profitability. Use this per-CPT-code to build a case cost library, since a single facility fee schedule from a payer will show wildly different margins across procedure types — high-implant-cost orthopedic and spine cases can run thin or negative margins even at higher reimbursement, while low-supply-cost GI and pain procedures often carry the best margins despite lower facility fees.",
  "formula": "Case cost = implant/device cost + supply cost + (OR minutes × cost per OR minute) + recovery cost. Margin = facility fee reimbursement − case cost.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=surgery-center-case-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "facilityFee",
      "label": "Facility fee reimbursement",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3800,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "implantCost",
      "label": "Implant/device cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "supplyCost",
      "label": "Disposable supply cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 350,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "orMinutes",
      "label": "OR time (skin to skin plus turnover)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 65,
      "unit": "min",
      "min": 5,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "orCostPerMinute",
      "label": "Fully loaded OR cost per minute",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 22,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "recoveryCost",
      "label": "Post-op recovery/PACU cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 180,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "margin",
      "label": "Net margin per case",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "marginPct",
      "label": "Margin as % of facility fee",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalCost",
      "label": "Total case cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "orTimeCost",
      "label": "OR time cost component",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Facility fee reimbursement: 3800 $",
      "Implant/device cost: 1200 $",
      "Disposable supply cost: 350 $",
      "OR time (skin to skin plus turnover): 65 min",
      "Fully loaded OR cost per minute: 22 $",
      "Post-op recovery/PACU cost: 180 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Net margin per case: $640",
      "Margin as % of facility fee: 16.8%",
      "Total case cost: $3,160",
      "OR time cost component: $1,430"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter facility fee reimbursement ($).",
      "Enter implant/device cost ($).",
      "Enter disposable supply cost ($).",
      "Enter or time (skin to skin plus turnover) (min).",
      "Enter fully loaded or cost per minute ($).",
      "Enter post-op recovery/pacu cost ($).",
      "Read your net margin per case on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "facilityFee": 2300,
        "implantCost": 700,
        "supplyCost": 200,
        "orMinutes": 40,
        "orCostPerMinute": 13,
        "recoveryCost": 110
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "facilityFee": 3800,
        "implantCost": 1200,
        "supplyCost": 350,
        "orMinutes": 65,
        "orCostPerMinute": 22,
        "recoveryCost": 180
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "facilityFee": 6100,
        "implantCost": 1900,
        "supplyCost": 550,
        "orMinutes": 105,
        "orCostPerMinute": 35,
        "recoveryCost": 290
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What's a typical fully loaded OR cost per minute?",
      "a": "Most ASCs run $15-35 per OR minute depending on region, staffing ratios, and equipment intensity, covering nursing, techs, anesthesia support staff (if not billed separately), equipment depreciation, and facility overhead allocated to OR time. Orthopedic and spine ORs with more staff and equipment run toward the higher end."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why do high-reimbursement cases sometimes have the worst margins?",
      "a": "Total joint and spine cases often reimburse $3,000-6,000+ but carry implant costs of $1,500-4,000, leaving thin margins after OR time and supplies. A $600 GI procedure with $40 in supply cost frequently nets a higher margin percentage than a $4,000 orthopedic case."
    },
    {
      "q": "How much does reducing turnover time actually matter?",
      "a": "Cutting average turnover time from 25 to 15 minutes across a center doing 15 cases a day recovers 150 minutes daily — enough for 2+ additional cases at $35/minute OR cost, meaning turnover efficiency directly funds additional case capacity without adding OR rooms."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should anesthesia cost be included in case cost?",
      "a": "Only if the ASC employs or subsidizes anesthesia providers directly. Most ASCs use independent anesthesia groups who bill separately, in which case anesthesia cost doesn't hit the facility's P&L and shouldn't be included in this calculation."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/urgent-care-visit-margin",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/locum-tenens-vs-hire-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Surgery Center Case Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/surgery-center-case-cost)"
}