Even with a slight dip in outpatient surgical volumes, Ardent Health Services (NYSE: ARDT) is doubling down on its push to build out ambulatory access points. That, in turn, may signal that the race to capture same-market ambulatory surgery center (ASC) demand – and eventually expand in new markets – is just beginning. The Nashville-based company, which went public last year, reported first-quarter 2025 revenue of $1.5 billion, up 4% from the prior year’s same period. Admissions rose 2.7%, … [Read more...]
Physician Burnout Rates Decline, But Pressures Remain for ASC Leaders
Physician burnout in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level since before the pandemic. Specifically, new data reveals that 43.2% of doctors reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2024, down from 48.2% the year prior, according to research from the American Medical Association (AMA). “This is a promising sign that efforts to improve physician well-being are gaining traction,” AMA researchers wrote. The research findings and related report are based on nearly 18,000 responses … [Read more...]
CHS Maintains ASC Expansion Strategy Amid Q1 Volume Fluctuations
Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH) is continuing to grow its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) footprint despite a slight dip in lower-acuity volumes during the first quarter of 2025, company leaders said during an April 24 earnings call. “We did have another strong growth quarter in our ASC environment, as we continue to incrementally add one to two ASCs per quarter,” CEO Tim Hingtgen said. “So we still see durability for the long run, as we diversify the mix of surgeries happening in … [Read more...]
ASC Pipeline: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Opens $78M Outpatient Surgery Center; Sutter Health to Open $120M Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Complex
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist opens $78M outpatient surgery center in Winston-Salem Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist opened a $78 million outpatient surgery center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 55,000-square-foot facility includes 12 surgical suites, eight operating rooms, two procedure rooms, a simulation OR and a robotic-surgery training room. The latter two spaces will support the health system’s academic mission by advancing training for future surgeons and health care … [Read more...]
New Legislation Seeks Fairer Medicare Co-Pay Structure for ASCs
A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives recently introduced the Medicare Beneficiary Co-Pay Fairness Act of 2025, a bill that aims to address inequities in Medicare’s copay structure and help lower costs for patients receiving care at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Currently, patients who seek care at both ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) typically face a 20% co-pay. However, while HOPDs benefit from a copay cap, set at $1,676 for 2025, patients at ASCs often face … [Read more...]
HOPD-to-ASC Conversions Are Booming, But Hidden Pitfalls Could Prove Costly
As hospitals continue to seek ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency, many are turning to the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) model. One emerging strategy is converting hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) into ASCs. This trend is gaining traction as payers push for more care to be delivered in lower-cost settings and patients increasingly prefer the convenience of outpatient procedures. However, the transition from an HOPD to an ASC is not as simple as flipping a switch. While … [Read more...]
AI Surgery Debate Heats Up After Elon Musk’s Robot Prediction
A social media post from Elon Musk set off a flurry of commentary across the surgical community over the last week. To recap, Musk – the billionaire entrepreneur and technology guru best known for building companies like Tesla and SpaceX – believes that AI-powered robots will soon take over a lot of the highly skilled functions surgeons perform in the operating room. Leaders in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space aren’t convinced his forecast is realistic, however. “Robots will … [Read more...]
Tenet CEO: ‘Significant Opportunity’ Ahead for ASC, Outpatient Growth
Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) is leaning further into ambulatory and outpatient growth strategies after a strong start to 2025, CEO Saum Sutaria said Tuesday during the company’s Q1 earnings call. "We see significant opportunity for growth," Sutaria said. The Dallas-based company's ambulatory platform, United Surgical Partners International (USPI), saw a 20% increase in net operating revenues compared to the previous year, at $1.19 billion, compared to $995 million the past … [Read more...]
ASC Quality Collaboration Director Outlines Metrics, Training Needed to Sustain Clinical Excellence in Outpatient Surgery
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are facing mounting pressure to prove clinical excellence as payers pivot toward value‑based contracts and higher‑acuity cases migrate to the outpatient setting. Yet because ASCs are different from the hospital setting, they require different benchmarking standards. Nina Goins, executive director of the ASC Quality Collaboration, said her coalition’s new safety and quality assessment, national benchmarking data, and ASC‑specific performance measures can … [Read more...]
HCA Gains Outpatient Edge as ASC Strategy Sees Traction
Outpatient revenue outpaced inpatient gains at HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) in the first quarter of 2025. Company leaders said ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are helping drive that trend as HCA ramps up capital investment in lower-cost settings. After a rough Q4 with the impact of hurricanes Milton and Helene, the Nashville, Tennessee-based health care giant’s revenue was $18.32 billion for Q1, slightly above the expected $18.26 billion. For context, HCA reported revenues of $17.34 … [Read more...]