Matt Danford

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking another stab at preventing the kind of supply chain shocks that left caretakers scrambling for masks, gloves and other essentials during the pandemic. In an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM), the agency is seeking comment on new policy options aimed at strengthening domestic supply chains for personal protective equipment and essential medicines.  Specifically, CMS is floating compensation for higher costs, … [Read more...]

NueHealth’s latest ambulatory surgery center (ASC) partnerships reflect a growth strategy with less emphasis on scale and more on preparing partners for value-based care. Leawood, Kansas-based NueHealth has owned, developed and/or managed over 150 surgical facilities across 30 states since its founding in 1997. Rather than acting solely as an operator or management vendor, though, the company pitches itself as a partner that can help ASCs manage full episodes of care, collect outcomes data … [Read more...]

Optum’s expansion into ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) tends to raise prices for competing insurers without shifting patient referrals toward those facilities. Optum – a division of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) with an expansive, nationwide ASC footprint – was the subject of a recent analysis in Health Affairs. Authors examined two central questions: whether acquired physician practices shifted referrals from hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) to ASCs, and whether Optum’s ASC … [Read more...]

HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) is doubling down on outpatient care as a core growth engine, even as ambulatory surgery center (ASC) volumes softened modestly at the end of 2025, executives said on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Jan. 27. Leadership emphasized that outpatient revenue continued to grow faster than inpatient care, supported by ongoing investment in ASC development, technology and network expansion. The strategy, executives said, is designed to strengthen access, … [Read more...]

Compass Surgical Partners launches cardiovascular facility  Compass Surgical Partners has partnered with local physicians to launch the Cardiovascular Surgical Institute of Northwest Florida, according to a Jan. 28 press release. According to the announcement, the 8,000-square-foot outpatient facility is focused on interventional cardiology, electrophysiology and vascular surgery procedures. Supported by fixed Philips Angio imaging systems in two fully equipped catheterization labs, these … [Read more...]

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) plan to eliminate the Medicare Inpatient-Only (IPO) list could trade a blunt but important safeguard for a series of new challenges for surgeons. In particular, those challenges could include more payer pressure, more administrative disputes and heightened risks for patients, some surgical experts believe. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have largely praised the phasing out of the IPO list, seeing CMS’ plan as a means to … [Read more...]

Summit keeps expanding Summit Spine & Joint Centers has acquired Savannah Pain Management and Savannah Pain Center, adding an interventional pain management practice that includes one clinic and one ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in Savannah, Georgia, according to a Jan. 20 press release.  According to Summit, the deal expands the company’s reach in the Southeast and increases its scale in the Savannah market, where it opened its first clinic and ASC in 2023.  “We are looking forward to … [Read more...]

Scaling an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) platform means more than adding new centers.  This is the view of Mark Langston, the new CEO of Compass Surgical Partners, who stepped into the top job at the beginning of what promises to be a big year for the growing ASC management company. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based Compass has more than 40 ASCs that it has developed or manages in its network. “We want to start building our foundation further so that when we’re at 100 facilities, … [Read more...]

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are primed for growth, but this rising tide won’t lift all boats. Making the most of what promises to be a positive year for the sector will require disciplined planning, targeted investment, and a clear-eyed view of regulatory and reimbursement risk.  This was the overarching message of a recent ASC News webinar focused on 2026 payment dynamics and growth strategies. “We’re going to grow, which is great; we just need to figure out how to do the … [Read more...]

The shift of musculoskeletal procedures from inpatient to outpatient alone is potentially a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). That’s according to a recent analysis from Trilliant Health, a health care data and analytics company. “With the removal of the [IPO] list, we're tracking the potential for accelerated migration to the outpatient setting, which has the potential to increase care value somewhat broadly, but also has very real implications for … [Read more...]