In the final analysis, a patient who does not require any more in the way of postoperative nursing care than bed rest and administration of food, water, and pain medication should be able to have surgery in an outpatient facility as safely and successfully as in an inpatient facility. A large general plastic surgery practice in an ambulatory surgical center creates unique problems, but most of these problems are solvable and have not prevented most plastic surgeons from conducting an ever increasing volume of their work in the ambulatory setting.