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Ardent Health, Inc. (NYSE: ARDT) plans to open two new ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) this year as part of its ongoing strategy to grow its outpatient care portfolio. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company is also bullish about urgent care: It opened four urgent care clinics during the first quarter across its Idaho, New Mexico and Texas markets and plans to open one more such clinic later this year.  In addition, Ardent Health aims to open one freestanding emergency department in 2026, … [Read more...]

Todd Albert, M.D., wants to make high-quality care so consistent at Legent Health that visiting one of its orthopedic/spine surgery centers is not unlike going to McDonald’s or Starbucks. Albert – who is also the surgeon-in-chief emeritus at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) – was recently named chief medical officer of Legent, the Texas-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operator. Recently, Legent became the platform in which HSS and General Atlantic will grow their national ASC … [Read more...]

HCA Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: HCA) executives are satisfied with the performance of their ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) despite a slight decline in surgery volume.  Outpatient surgery volume for HCA dipped 1.7% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the prior-year period, CFO William Rutherford said during HCA’s April 24 earnings call. That breaks down to a 2.1% decline in hospital-based outpatient surgeries and 1% in ASCs. “On the hospital side, we saw a little bit of weakness in our … [Read more...]

Atlas Healthcare Partners, which just announced that it’s teaming up with Minnesota-based Fairview Health Services to develop and operate a network of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), is far from finished with its recent joint-venture spree. In fact, the joint venture with Fairview is the sixth such partnership unveiled by Atlas, and more announcements are coming soon. “We also recently finalized an ASC relationship with a large system that will be announced in the near future,” Atlas … [Read more...]

Although Community Health Systems Inc. (NYSE: CYH) missed its earnings target in the first quarter of 2026, executives expressed enthusiasm about the company’s recent efforts to grow its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) portfolio. Before diving into the Tennessee-based health system’s financial results during an April 21 earnings call, Community Health Systems CEO Kevin Hammons noted his company recently made some “significant investments in ambulatory surgery centers in our core … [Read more...]

Allstate and three affiliated insurers have sued Surgery Partners Inc. (Nasdaq: SGRY), its anesthesia subsidiary and several Florida ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Broadly, Allstate is alleging Surgery Partners and the other named parties participated in a years-long scheme to submit fraudulent bills for medically unnecessary, unlawfully rendered or unperformed services tied to auto insurance claims. “We strongly disagree with Allstate’s factually inaccurate and legally deficient … [Read more...]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to expand its Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model nationwide. The move aims to revive and broaden a Medicare bundle that could reshape the competitive landscape for orthopedic ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), even though ASCs are not directly included. Under the proposal, a new model dubbed “CJR-X” would begin Oct. 1, 2027 and would be mandatory for most acute care hospitals paid under the inpatient … [Read more...]

Tennessee lawmakers are advancing another rewrite of the state’s Certificate-of-Need (CON) framework, though this time the effort is aimed mostly at hospitals and hospital-adjacent services rather than ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) directly. House Bill 0819 and Senate Bill 1369 would remove CON requirements for acute care hospitals, satellite emergency departments and cardiac catheterization services. Under the amended legislation, the acute care hospital CON repeal would take effect … [Read more...]

Several dozen companies focused on musculoskeletal care have been approved to participate in a new federal payment model designed to manage chronic conditions outside traditional settings. While much still needs to be learned in terms of how the model will play out over time, for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) stakeholders, it’s a development worth watching. In the not-too-distant future, it could impact how Medicare patients with chronic pain are treated before they ever reach a … [Read more...]

Ambulatory Surgery Center News’ parent company, WTWH Media, has acquired HealthLeaders, a media and events platform serving hospital and health system executives – a move that expands the company's health care portfolio and strengthens its ability to connect decision-makers across an increasingly interconnected care continuum. The combination with HealthLeaders’ executive community and flagship Exchange events will deepen insight and engagement around major industry pressures such as … [Read more...]