News

There are thousands of high-performing ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) operating across the United States. But some cities and states have far more high-performing ASCs than others, a new industry ranking from U.S. News & World Report suggests. U.S. News & World Report released its Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers ratings for 2025 on Tuesday. To compile its list of top ASCs, the organization evaluated 4,357 surgery centers in four specialty areas: colonoscopy and endoscopy, … [Read more...]

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) closed out 2024 strong, partly propelled by growth in its large ambulatory surgery center (ASC) division, United Surgical Partners International (USPI). Moving forward, the company is focused on ASC expansion and high-acuity case growth, CEO Saum Sutaria said during the company’s Q4 earnings call. "We intend to invest approximately $250 million each year towards M&A in the ambulatory space,” Sutaria said. “And the pipeline of opportunities … [Read more...]

OrthoCarolina selling PT business OrthoCarolina plans to sell its physical therapy business to a private equity-backed firm. Charlotte-based OrthoCarolina, one of the nation’s largest independently owned orthopedic practices, is finalizing a deal to sell its physical therapy division to PT Solutions Physical Therapy, an Atlanta-based provider supported by PE. The agreement is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. CEO and orthopedic surgeon Leo Spector said the move would allow … [Read more...]

Legislation to block cuts to Medicare payments for physicians is back on the table. On Jan. 31, U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, who has a background as a medical doctor, reintroduced the bipartisan “Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act.” A 2024 version of the bill was previously introduced in October. "Physicians in America are facing unprecedented financial viability challenges due to continued Medicare cuts,” Murphy, a Republican from North Carolina, said in a statement. “Access … [Read more...]

The ASC Quality Collaboration (ASCQC) has released its ASC Safety & Quality Assessment tool. ASCQC is an organization focused on advancing patient safety and quality of care in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). It officially announced the release of the new tool on Feb. 3. The ASC Safety & Quality Assessment is a free online survey that surgery centers can use to “benchmark themselves against key attributes that help define a safe, high-quality site of ambulatory surgical care,” … [Read more...]

The number of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) operating in the fee-for-service Medicare landscape is rising. So, too, is the share of traditional Medicare beneficiaries served by ASCs. That’s according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which presented on the ASC market as part of its regular health care status report on Jan. 16. The objective of these regular MedPAC presentations is to educate commissioners on the various corners of health care, giving MedPAC the … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]

As the health care landscape continues to evolve, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. From shifting reimbursement models to advances in surgical technology, ASCs must navigate a dynamic environment to remain competitive, efficient and patient-focused. To explore these and other topics, Ambulatory Surgery Center News is officially launching our 2025 industry outlook survey. This survey – live through Jan. 31, 2025 – aims to uncover key … [Read more...]

Last year was a pivotal year for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry, marked by transformative trends, groundbreaking innovations and high-stakes decisions that reshaped the landscape. It was also an exciting year for us at Ambulatory Surgery Center News, as we launched in the summer of 2024 with a mission to deliver in-depth reporting and actionable insights tailored to ASC operators, investors, payers, clinicians and other stakeholders. Since our debut, we've brought you stories … [Read more...]

One of the newer publicly traded health care companies in the U.S., Ardent Health (NYSE: ARDT), is ramping up its ambulatory care M&A activity. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based Ardent announced Friday the acquisition of 18 urgent care clinics across New Mexico and Oklahoma from NextCare Urgent Care. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “Expanding our urgent care footprint represents significant progress in our mission to create a consumer-focused ecosystem of care in … [Read more...]