Image by PublicDomainPictures from PixabayChristianaCare and Atlas Healthcare Partners are forming a joint venture aimed at developing a network of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).
The network will span across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, creating a chain of ASCs for the large health system ChristianaCare.
Atlas Healthcare Partners CEO Aric Burke told ASC News that the joint venture expects to develop over 10 centers in the next five years. The JV will operate under a newly formed board comprising representatives from both ChristianaCare and Atlas Healthcare Partners.
For ASC operators in the Mid-Atlantic region, this joint venture represents a significant change in the health care infrastructure of the region, reflecting the ongoing shift from inpatient to outpatient surgical care.
“The goal of the JV to is to design, develop and operate an ASC network that fully covers the ChristianaCare communities across the outpatient specialties and subspecialties including orthopedics, pain, spine, podiatry, cardiovascular, GI, ophthalmology, ENT, general surgery, gynecology, plastics and urology,” he told ASC News. “A robust ASC network will support ChristianaCare’s mission by providing integrated care delivery in both the inpatient and outpatient setting, which ensures patients will have access to care in the most convenient and affordable site of service.”
This collaboration marks a significant step toward expanding access to cost-effective, high-quality surgical care in these states, Burke said.
“In addition to providing access to care, the JV is also focused on aligning with physicians to increase their efficiencies, coordination of care, involvement in ASC operations and investment opportunities,” he added.
ChristianaCare is a health system that currently operates several surgery centers in Delaware, including at its Newark campus. It also has part ownership in the Spine Surgery Center in Wilmington and Glasgow Surgery Center in Newark.
In 2023, ChristianaCare employed nearly 13,800 employees, according to its website. It performed more than 39,400 surgical procedures.
According to the AHA Annual Survey database for fiscal year 2021, ChristianaCare ranked 48th in the country in terms of its surgery numbers.
“Ambulatory surgery centers are an increasingly important part of the health care ecosystem, especially as advances in science and technology are enabling more and more procedures to be done safely in an outpatient setting,” Jennifer Schwartz, chief strategy officer at ChristianaCare, said in a press release.
Atlas Healthcare Partners was formed through a partnership with Banner Health in 2019, resulting in 30 surgery centers in Arizona and Colorado. In 2022, Atlas formed a joint venture with Corewell Health, establishing four ASCs in Michigan, with more under development.
Last month, Atlas announced a strategic joint venture with MultiCare Health System, a large not-for-profit health care organization based in Washington.
“We’ve got numerous projects that are being developed, including projects that are approved or in the process of being approved for certificates of need across the state,” Burke previously told ASC News. “Additionally, we’re looking to acquire existing surgery centers with physician partners.”
Leaders from both Atlas and ChristianaCare noted that advances in medical technology have allowed for a broader range of procedures to be performed outside of traditional hospital settings, leading to increased patient satisfaction and convenience.
“By expanding the availability of ASCs throughout the region we serve, we’re helping to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get cost-efficient, high-quality, safe care, closer to where they live,” Schwartz continued.
