We should all kneel down this moment and thank God for anesthesiologist Wallace "Wally" Reed, MD. You're where you are and doing what you're doing because Dr. Reed had the courage and conviction to open the nation's first freestanding ambulatory surgery center.

In 1970, at a time when many ambulatory surgery procedures were performed in hospital emergency rooms and followed by overnight hospital stays, Dr. Reed knew there had to be a better way to make same-day surgery more affordable and accessible for patients and the physicians who serve them.

What if, he wondered, we built a focused factory for surgery? It would be like dry cleaning: Drop off patients at 9, and pick them up at noon.

Two years before he opened, he doodled a sketch of the prototypical surgical center on the back of a cocktail napkin. There would be 4 ORs, with separate admitting, recovery and waiting rooms.

He also plotted the new business model of ambulatory surgical care. We'll put the docs in charge. They'll hire their own staffs, buy their own equipment and schedule their own cases. Make the whole place ultra-efficient. Give patients excellent surgical care in a comfortable, comforting environment uninterrupted by the need to provide emergency care.

Despite many political challenges, Dr. Reed broke ground on his building. He named his ASC Surgicenter. On opening day, 5 physicians performed 5 procedures, 4 requiring general anesthesia. Each patient was same-day discharged.

Yes, they said, patients and payors and physicians, this is better. Much, much better. The next day, the next week and the next month were all busier than the last.

The idea spread like wild fire. From such humble beginnings sprang one focused factory after another. At last count, 44 years later, there were 5,357 Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers in the United States performing millions of procedures each year. Hospitals, too, took the baton from Dr. Reed, creating efficient same-day surgical units within their walls and eliminating hospital stays for routine procedures whenever possible.

Outpatient surgery's founding father passed away last month at his home in Phoenix, Ariz. He was 97, a true visionary who leaves behind quite a legacy.

How will you honor it?

Like Dr. Reed, you can promote outpatient surgery as a critically important component of the nation's healthcare system.

You can commit every day in every way to providing the best possible patient care.

You can recruit and develop a great surgical team.

You can walk with pride in your stride in knowing that you're part of such a vibrant industry.

As for us, we here at the magazine join you in saluting Dr. Reed for showing the world a better way. Thank you, Dr. Reed. That's a beautiful mousetrap you built.