Leadership News

Ascension CEO Joseph Impicciche will retire at the end of 2025 after two decades. Eduardo Conrado, Ascension’s current president, has been named his successor and will officially step into the CEO role at the start of 2026. The leadership change comes at a pivotal moment for Ascension, as the St. Louis-based health system is acquiring ambulatory surgery center (ASC) giant AMSURG in a deal that’s reportedly worth $3.9 billion. “This acquisition is deeply aligned with Ascension’s Mission to … [Read more...]

Although Medicare payment rates have not faced major cuts under the new administration so far, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continue to be underpaid compared to hospitals. That’s according to Bill Prentice, CEO of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), who recently shared his regulatory outlook at the Arizona Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s 2025 Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Medicare seems to be OK right now,” Prentice said at the conference. “But we still … [Read more...]

As a higher volume of orthopedic procedures shifts into outpatient settings, Coastal Orthopedics is refining its approach to meet the growing demand. That means continuing to accommodate lower-acuity procedures that the center was built on while expanding access to more complex ones.  Coastal has had a lot of success executing on that vision, too. The Bradenton, Florida-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC) recently earned national recognition as one of the best ASCs in the country by U.S. … [Read more...]

As ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) increasingly adopt robotic-assisted platforms to expand their capabilities in minimally invasive procedures, Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG), the maker of the da Vinci system, has announced a major leadership transition.  President Dave Rosa will take over as CEO on July 1, 2025, succeeding longtime CEO Gary Guthart, who will move into the role of executive chair. The da Vinci surgical system is widely used across hospitals and a growing number of … [Read more...]

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is one of the largest and most influential entities within the U.S. health care system, with its reach touching the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space as well. And it’s currently in the midst of a leadership identity crisis. On Tuesday, UnitedHealth Group revealed that Andrew Witty was stepping down from the CEO role, effective immediately. The abrupt change at the top of America’s health care titan is due to “personal reasons,” UnitedHealth Group noted in … [Read more...]

Network expansion, health system alignment and scalable ambulatory growth are expected to be top priorities for Compass Surgical Partners following its appointment of Mark Langston as chief development officer. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC) development and management company announced Langston’s hire on April 24.  Langston previously served as CDO at SCA Health, where he led ambulatory growth initiatives for health systems nationwide. In his new role, … [Read more...]

For ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operators, everything comes down to making sure patients get the right care in the right place. As more complex procedures are moving into the outpatient setting, it is important to understand the factors that may make a patient a good fit for outpatient surgery.  Ambulatory Surgery Center News connected with Dr. Glenn Snyders, medical director and head of anesthesiology at DISC Surgery Center in Carlsbad, to go over some of the best patient selection … [Read more...]

Leaders across the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry agree on one point: ASCs have never been more essential to the nation’s health care ecosystem.  “I think as we see more acute care cases move into our world, we’re all getting really comfortable with the joints, the spine [cases], and now we’re moving into two, three level spines as the codes and and things change,” Deb Yoder, vice president of facility development at Compass Surgical Partners, told Ambulatory Surgery Center News at … [Read more...]

TriasMD, the company behind DISC Surgery Centers, is opening a new outpatient surgery facility in San Diego that will specialize in spine, orthopedic and pain management care. The 12,000-square-foot center will feature operating suites equipped with advanced imaging, navigation and robotic technology.  The facility adds to the several spine, orthopedic and pain management facilities DISC operates across California. TriasMD is an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) management company. Many … [Read more...]

The Senate confirmed Dr. Mehmet Oz as the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), doing so by a 53-45 margin. Most senators voted along party lines. Oz’s confirmation will likely portend policy and regulatory shifts that may impact ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).  Oz’s public statements during his confirmation hearings focused heavily on post-acute care and skilled nursing concerns, but he also hinted at broader reimbursement and regulatory … [Read more...]