Spire Orthopedic Partners, a national orthopedic platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Ortho Rhode Island (Ortho RI) and its affiliated ambulatory surgery center.  The collaboration establishes the largest orthopedic platform in the Northeast, significantly enhancing Spire's reach and resources, the companies said in a press release.  Headquartered in Warwick, Rhode Island, Ortho RI operates across six locations, including an ambulatory surgery center, specializing in … [Read more...]

Not too long ago, patients in need of complex spine procedures would find themselves wandering through sprawling hospital complexes for surgeries and follow-up appointments. That experience is now happening less frequently for many individuals, however, as the types of spine surgeries that once only took place in traditional acute care hospitals shift into the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) setting. The trend is likely to continue, too, according to ASC executives who specialize in spinal … [Read more...]

Panoramic Health, an integrated provider group in kidney care, recently announced the opening of a new 10,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in Tampa, Florida. The facility, developed in partnership with Florida Kidney Physicians (FKP), features five operating rooms and aims to offer advanced vascular treatments in an outpatient setting.  Dr. Shyam Uttamchandani, FKP chief financial officer and nephrologist, said that the center is trying to transform kidney care from “reactive” … [Read more...]

AMSURG and Comprehensive EyeCare Partners (CompEye) have jointly acquired Alta Rose Surgery Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. This acquisition marks the fourth outpatient surgery center under the AMSURG and CompEye partnership. AMSURG operates a network of approximately 250 surgery centers nationwide, specializing in gastroenterology, ophthalmology and orthopedics. As a result of Envision Healthcare’s restructuring, AMURG became an independent company in November 2023. CompEye supports over … [Read more...]

Legislation aiming to streamline the prior-authorization process under Medicare Advantage (MA) has been re-introduced in the Senate, with companion legislation also introduced in the House. If enacted, it could enable more procedures to be conducted in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) by cutting through often restrictive red tape. Obtaining prior authorization is often a hurdle for ASCs. Operators are required to approve certain services before they are provided, but since the use of … [Read more...]

Researchers have confirmed that robotic hepatectomy can be performed safely as an outpatient procedure, offering a less invasive option with quicker recovery times for patients undergoing liver surgery. For ambulatory surgery centers, though, it will require significant investment in  robotic surgical technologies.  In a recently released study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the researchers evaluated 307 cases from six hepatobiliary centers by assessing … [Read more...]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the most frequently cited areas for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in 2023. The most cited issue was "Sanitary Environment," cited 507 times. Following closely was "Infection Control Program," cited 372 times. The data, obtained by the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), was based on 3,023 ASC surveys from last year. The numbers show that infection control remains a predominant concern for operators, with … [Read more...]

HCA Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: HCA) is set to surpass its volume and growth targets, driven by favorable market conditions and strategic investments in outpatient platforms. That’s according to HCA CEO Sam Hazen, who offered an update on his company Wednesday during an investor presentation. "We have a 3% to 4% guide on our volume growth in 2024," Hazen said, adding that there is the potential to exceed these targets given the strong first quarter and supportive market forces for HCA.  The … [Read more...]