Then University of Pennsylvania physiatrist Curtis Slipman persuaded him to try a new 30-minute outpatientprocedure that repairs herniated discs using a needle, no general anesthesia required.
"The Essure procedure is typically performed as an outpatientprocedure and is intended to be a less invasive and a less costly alternative to tubal ligation, the leading form of birth control worldwide, " says Oberweis.
The physician wanted to perform the surgery in the outpatient surgery center instead of performing an office procedure, which is the most common place to remove a skin cyst.
When someone has minor outpatient surgery in a hospital, payment includes the cost to cover the procedure, plus an extra few thousand dollars in so-called facility fees.