Across U.S. healthcare, outsourcing is no longer a fringe idea, it’s becoming a core strategy. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, health systems are increasingly leaning into outsourcing to protect capital, reduce administrative burden, and stay financially agile in an era of rising costs and shifting reimbursements.
For hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), cataract surgery represents one of the most resource-intensive specialties to manage internally. Equipment, IOL inventory, specialty supplies, and staffing all combine to create a heavy administrative lift and capital expense. That’s why more facilities are making cataract outsourcing a top priority.
1. Protect Operational Capital — Without Giving Up Tech
Capital budgets are under pressure, yet surgeon demand for the latest equipment hasn’t slowed. Alcon’s UNITY® CS platform is already rolling out with built-in advantages, like higher efficiency in phaco-cutting, to better chamber stability, and safer thermal control. But upgrading to UNITY often involves significant capital investment.
That’s why Surgical Direct brings UNITY CS directly to your OR—with no upfront cost, no procurement headaches, and full on-site support.
2. Offload Admin Complexity with Real Oversight
Managing IOL inventory, specialty supplies, and equipment logs is time-consuming. Health systems are offloading similar burdens—finance, HR, IT—to improve agility and reduce bounced tasks.
Outsourcing cataract logistics the right way gives you that same advantage. We handle lens consignment, set up phaco systems, prep microscopes, and provide a trained coordinator for surgery day. You keep control without the admin drain.
3. Boost OR Efficiency — Without more Payroll
Perhaps the most overlooked benefit of outsourcing is people. Our trained cataract coordinators arrive on-site with the equipment, handle setup, prime systems, load surgeon preferences, and assist OR staff throughout the day. This “extra set of hands” reduces turnover time, prevents setup errors, and brings consistency to high-volume days.
4. Boost OR Reliability — Every Case, Every Day
Outsourcing isn’t only about the paperwork—it’s also about creating consistency in day-to-day operations. Just as IT and revenue cycle outsourcing gave Allina Health more execution efficiency and digital agility. Partnering with Surgical Direct ensures your surgery flow is smoother, your turnover is leaner, and your team stays focused.
5. Choosing the Right Partner
As outsourcing becomes a bigger priority across healthcare, understand that here at Surgical Direct, outsourcing is nothing new. For over 20 years, we’ve been perfecting our model of cataract outsourcing to provide immediate financial relief, workflow consistency, and access to the very latest in surgical technology.
We partner with HOPDs and ASCs nationwide to make cataract surgery easier, safer, and more cost-effective. If your facility is considering new strategies for the back half of 2025, outsourcing cataract services should be at the top of the list.
Bottom Line
Healthcare’s strategic leaders are outsourcing to build capacity for care, not bureaucracy. Cataract surgery is no exception. Outsourcing your cataract operations to a trusted partner like Surgical Direct means:
- Access to cutting-edge platforms (like UNITY® CS)
- No capital requirements or procurement delays
- Fewer admin tasks, more OR uptime
- A reliable, on-site human presence for every case
If you’re planning ahead for Q3 or Q4, this is your chance to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and lift the quality of care without overextending your team or budgets.
Ready to learn how cataract outsourcing could fit your center? Let’s build a plan together.