The increasing popularity of ambulatory surgery centers is examined in today's New York Times. There are now about 4,600 surgery centers around the country, according to industry sources, a marked increase from 3,000 only five years ago. The trend is clearly "away from the hospital," as one expert puts it. One-in-five surgeries is now performed at such facilities. The question is: is that an entirely good thing? Some critics are doubtful, arguing that safety can be a problem at the facilities, which typically lack the resources of larger hospitals should something go wrong. Defenders say the numbers don't bear that out. Story