We've long heard the lament that if not for post-operative pain, more advanced surgery could be done on an outpatient basis, which payors, physicians and patients certainly would prefer. The fact is that surgeons who operate out of freestanding ambulatory surgical centers have no choice but to schedule patients who require overnight pain management to the hospital for their surgeries and overnight stays. Hospitalizing an otherwise healthy patient is like using a sledgehammer to pound a 10 penny nail.