Why More Surgery Is Moving to Outpatient Centers: What Jordan Benjamin Smith Sees From Both Sides

For many patients, the word “surgery” still brings to mind a hospital stay: an admission, a room, and a few days of recovery before going home. But many procedures now take place in outpatient surgery centers, where patients arrive, have their procedure, and go home the same day. Jordan Benjamin Smith, a board-certified anesthesiologist who practices in Florida and New York, has experienced that shift from more than one angle. He’s provided anesthesia in hospitals, in surgery centers, and in office-based settings, and he owns a surgery center of his own in Manhattan.

What an Outpatient Surgery Center Is

An outpatient surgery center, sometimes called an ambulatory surgery center, is a facility designed for procedures that don’t require an overnight hospital stay. The patient checks in, is prepared for the procedure, goes into the operating room, recovers until they’re ready to leave, and then goes home.

Hospitals handle a much wider range of care, including emergencies, critical care, long admissions, and scheduled surgery. A surgery center focuses on scheduled procedures for patients who are expected to recover and go home the same day.

That narrower focus shapes how the day is scheduled and how the care team works together. It’s also a big part of why these centers appeal to patients and physicians alike.

Why Patients and Physicians Are Choosing Outpatient Settings

For patients, much of the appeal is being able to recover in a familiar place rather than a hospital room. A facility that only handles scheduled procedures is also less likely to have its operating room schedule disrupted by an emergency elsewhere in the building, which makes the day more predictable.

For physicians, working in a facility designed around a specific set of procedures allows the team to develop familiar routines. Surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists who work together regularly in the same space tend to know each other’s habits and expectations. That familiarity helps them coordinate care throughout the day.

Surgery centers aren’t the only outpatient option. Some procedures have moved into physicians’ offices. Office-based anesthesia allows certain procedures to be done in a practice’s own space, with an anesthesiologist brought in to provide care there.

Where the Anesthesiologist Fits In

The anesthesiologist’s role doesn’t shrink when surgery leaves the hospital. Alongside keeping the patient safe during the procedure, the anesthesiologist helps manage recovery so the patient can be ready for discharge that day.

Jordan Smith’s career shows how varied that work can be. Practicing on a locums basis, or through temporary assignments, he has provided anesthesia across a range of settings: hospitals in both Florida and New York, surgery centers in Florida, and office-based anesthesia for urology and OB/GYN practices in South Florida. Each setting has different demands. A hospital operating room has the building’s full resources behind it. A surgery center or a physician’s office is more self-contained, so planning needs to account for the resources available before the procedure begins.

Jordan Benjamin Smith and the View From the Ownership Side

Alongside his clinical work, Dr. Jordan Smith, MD, also runs a facility. He is the owner of City Surgical of Manhattan, a surgery center in New York City, where he also works as an anesthesiologist.

Jordan Benjamin Smith has combined clinical work with ownership, which means his week can move between the operating room and running the facility. He’s chosen to build businesses within medicine, and a surgery center is a direct extension of the clinical work he already does.

Owning a facility also means taking responsibility for how the whole day runs: scheduling, staffing, and making sure every patient moves through check-in, surgery, and recovery smoothly. For Jordan Smith, anesthesiologist and business owner, ownership allows him to manage those operations while continuing to practice. He enjoys his clinical work and has no interest in trading it for a purely administrative role.

What Patients Should Know Before an Outpatient Procedure

Patients can ask a few questions and make arrangements ahead of time to prepare for a procedure at a surgery center.

First, ask who will be providing your anesthesia and what their credentials are. Board certification and state licensure are separate credentials, and both can be checked. In Florida, for example, you can look up physician licenses through the state Department of Health.

Second, take a few minutes to read about the physicians who’ll be involved in your care. Specialty, training, and practice history are usually easy to find, and reviewing that information ahead of time can help you identify questions to ask before the day of the procedure.

Third, plan for the day itself. Outpatient surgery means going home the same day, so arrange for someone to take you home and follow the instructions your care team gives you about preparing for the procedure.

What the Shift Means

When a procedure and the patient’s needs don’t require a hospital stay, an outpatient facility can be a suitable option. Surgery centers and office-based settings let care teams focus on scheduled procedures, and they let patients recover at home.

For Dr. Smith, working across these settings has given him experience with how each operates. At City Surgical of Manhattan, he applies that experience both as an anesthesiologist caring for patients and as the owner responsible for the facility’s daily operations.

Jordan Benjamin Smith, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and healthcare entrepreneur who practices as a locums anesthesiologist across Florida and New York. He is the owner of City Surgical of Manhattan, a surgery center in New York City, and the founder of The IV Pro, an intravenous therapy business serving South Florida. Born in Boca Raton, Florida, he earned his MD from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University.