Electronic health record (EHR) usage among ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continues to climb.
That’s according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s (ASCA) July 2025 60-Second Survey.
The survey found that 76% of ASCs now use an EHR. That’s the highest percentage since ASCA began asking the question in 2021, reflecting the increasing importance of EHR technology.
“It’s probably a few industry [and] health care trends happening simultaneously,” ASCA regulatory counsel Alex Taira told ASC News in an email. “For one, I think the types of procedures being performed by ASCs have shifted somewhat since 2021, with a higher volume of cases in specialties like orthopedic, cardiovascular and spine surgery.”
Surgery centers that handle specialties like orthopedics, cardiovascular and spine procedures tend to see greater advantages from EHR data, since it supports patient selection, benchmarking, quality improvement and registry reporting, Taira added.
The growth marks steady increases from 64% in 2023 and 55% in 2021, reflecting a 36% rise over four years. The survey, which drew 280 responses from ASCs in 42 states, also revealed differences by ownership type.
Solely physician-owned facilities reported the highest usage, at 82%, compared with 72% for joint ventures with management companies and 71% for hospital-affiliated centers.
Satisfaction levels remain strong, with three-quarters of respondents saying they would recommend their EHR system to other ASCs. The leading benefit cited this year was data gathering, reported by 87% of users, overtaking operational efficiency for the first time since 2021.
What’s more, 85% of the ASCA survey respondents said their EHR boosted operational efficiency, while 33% pointed to higher quality of care and 24% cited improved patient satisfaction.
At the same time, concerns are ticking upward. In regard to challenges with EHRs, 40% of respondents cited challenges with sending and receiving patient information, up from 34% in 2023.
Another 43% of respondents reported difficulties connecting to external programs, compared with 40% just two years ago.
“There are just more electronic data requirements now than there were previously,” Taira said. “Many states have health information networks/exchanges that may require facilities to contribute data. Data gathering may also help centers achieve a beneficial status with a payer or accrediting organization.”
Among facilities not yet using an EHR, resistance remains strong.
Specifically, 68% of survey respondents said they plan to stay on paper charts until forced to change, up from 59% in 2023. Cost was cited as the primary barrier (49%), followed by the belief that EHRs are not necessary (15%) and opposition from staff (12%).
Those barriers to EHR adoption are common ones in other parts of health care as well.
Facility design is also a factor, Taira said.
“For many years we’ve known that newly built ASCs are much more likely to open with an EHR than an existing ASC is to procure/implement one,” Taira said. “So, if a facility is designing their entire operation from the beginning with an EHR in mind, they likely don’t see operation efficiency as a huge benefit since it has been an inherent part of their operations since day one.”
