News

There might soon be another ambulatory surgery center (ASC) player on the public market. Ardent Health Partners announced Friday that it filed the necessary paperwork to go public with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The S-1 filed by Ardent outlined plans to raise $100 million in an initial public offering, though that’s likely a placeholder, with the exact number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering to be later determined. Ardent Health … [Read more...]

Regent Surgical has added a key C-suite executive to its leadership team. The Franklin, Tennessee-based ASC operating company named Christa Blumenshine as its next CFO on June 18. Prior to joining Regent, Blumenshine served as CFO of AmeriVet Veterinary Partners, a private equity-backed consolidator of 210 veterinary practices. Blumenshine has also held roles at U.S. Renal Care and United Surgical Partners International (USPI). “Our partners consistently cite our leadership team’s … [Read more...]

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and other health care providers experienced pronounced payment disruptions earlier in 2024 due to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. Many of these health care providers mitigated the financial impact of that disruption via a form of short-term loan from the government. This lifeline will soon go away, however. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that its advanced and accelerated payment program tied to the cyberattack … [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...]

AMSURG – one of the largest ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operators in the U.S. – is teaming up with a major West Coast health system. The Nashville, Tennessee-based AMSURG announced Tuesday that it has established a new joint venture with Palomar Health. As part of the JV, AMSURG will work with Palomar via the system’s Poway Surgery Center. The strategic partnership will enable the organizations and their affiliated physicians to increase access and quality outpatient care in Poway, … [Read more...]

There’s a new health care investment joint venture entering the playing field – and it could be hunting for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) opportunities in the not-so-distant future. Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR) recently announced that it has entered into a strategic JV relationship with private equity powerhouse KKR. The goal of the partnership will be to “jointly own and invest in quality medical outpatient buildings,” according to a press release from the two … [Read more...]

W. Mark Wainner has been elected president of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), the industry group recently announced. Alexandria, Virginia-based ASCA is a national trade association that represents more than 6,200 Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) across the United States. The group plays an important role in working with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and lawmakers to shape ASC policy – a mission that has grown in importance as … [Read more...]