
Ardent Health (NYSE: ARDT) is pushing to meet patients where they are, whether in a hospital, an outpatient clinic, or through digital solutions, CEO Marty Bonick said Jan. 14 during the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference.
That also is likely to increasingly include ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in the future.
“We operate in eight growing, mid-sized urban markets, … with a very consumer-centric focus in terms of how we’re growing and expanding,” Bonick said.
Ardent currently operates 30 hospitals and over 200 outpatient sites across six states, generating nearly $6 billion in revenue for 2024. The company dominates mid-sized urban markets, which are growing at three times the national average, Bonick said.
Ambulatory expansion has become essential to Ardent’s long-term growth strategy, Bonick added. Broadening urgent care and surgery center offerings, particularly in markets with signs of population growth and economic vitality, is one of Ardent’s long-term goals.
“We see growing into the ambulatory environment, … as well as our digital tools and our outreach, in terms of growing that number of patients,” he said.
Arden acquired several urgent care sites in 2024 and an additional 18 in early 2025. These centers have already driven significant results, Bonick said, as 45% of patients at the newly acquired east Texas centers were new to Ardent, and 15% required follow-up care within the system.
Ardent’s aim to create a continuum that includes ASCs alongside urgent care clinics and imaging facilities will likely prove beneficial to patients and providers alike, he said.
“We know that there’s going to be M&A opportunities in our pipeline,” Bonick said. “We have a very scaled infrastructure ready for that next phase of growth.”
While adding ASCs to its portfolio creates synergistic opportunities for Ardent, the company also believes it’s something physicians and patients want.
“The next focus that we expect to see is around ambulatory surgery center growth,” Bonick said. “With the population growth of our market and strong physician clinic relationships that we have, we know there’s opportunities for additional centers.”
While urgent care growth has been acquisition-driven, ASC expansion will likely focus on de novo projects due to the current high trading multiples, he said.
“But we do know that we’ve got physician interest and demand, as well as a population to support that,” he said. “So that will be a little bit of a longer build. The immediate focus of getting new patients into the system was fueled by that urgent care, and we’re making good on that.”