More cardiovascular (CV) procedures are coming to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), but the barrier to entry remains high. Varied state regulations, high capital costs and tight staffing are likely to limit the pace of outpatient migration for these CV procedures, industry insiders told ASC News. “I don't think we're going to see a huge shift in volume in the first couple of years,” Kara Newbury, chief advocacy officer at the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), told ASC … [Read more...]
ASC Market Projected at $45.6B, Remains Balanced in Terms of Specialty Composition
The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry continued to expand in late 2025, pushing the U.S. market to an estimated value of $45.6 billion. That’s according to new data from industry research and intelligence firm ASC Data. But that $45.6 billion figure doesn’t tell the whole story. ASC Data’s latest quarterly market report suggests the ASC industry’s next phase of growth will be more targeted, likely shaped less by raw center counts and more by specialization, geography and … [Read more...]
Top Ambulatory Surgery Center Trends for 2026
The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry enters 2026 with undeniable momentum – and a growing sense that the “easy” part of the outpatient shift is over. More procedures are moving out of hospitals, yes. And it’s true that payers, employers and patients all continue to favor lower-cost (and more convenient) sites of care. What’s more, regulators are expanding what ASCs can do, and investors still view the sector as one of health care’s few durable growth stories. But the operating … [Read more...]
HCA Accelerates Outpatient Strategy as Growth Shifts Beyond Hospitals
HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) is doubling down on outpatient care as a core growth engine, even as ambulatory surgery center (ASC) volumes softened modestly at the end of 2025, executives said on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Jan. 27. Leadership emphasized that outpatient revenue continued to grow faster than inpatient care, supported by ongoing investment in ASC development, technology and network expansion. The strategy, executives said, is designed to strengthen access, … [Read more...]
Medicare’s IPO List Phaseout Raises Alarms on Patient Safety, Payer Pressures
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) plan to eliminate the Medicare Inpatient-Only (IPO) list could trade a blunt but important safeguard for a series of new challenges for surgeons. In particular, those challenges could include more payer pressure, more administrative disputes and heightened risks for patients, some surgical experts believe. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have largely praised the phasing out of the IPO list, seeing CMS’ plan as a means to … [Read more...]
Executive Outlook, Part III: Under-the-Radar Issues ASCs Must Monitor
As the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry heads deeper into 2026, many of the most consequential forces shaping its future are not the ones making headlines. Beyond the familiar debates over reimbursement, procedure migration and consolidation, a sometimes quieter set of dynamics is emerging – issues that are unfolding incrementally, often outside formal rulemaking or earnings calls, but with the potential to materially alter how ASCs operate, compete and grow. To surface these … [Read more...]
Why Data, Advocacy and Contract Discipline Will Define ASC Performance in 2026
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are primed for growth, but this rising tide won’t lift all boats. Making the most of what promises to be a positive year for the sector will require disciplined planning, targeted investment, and a clear-eyed view of regulatory and reimbursement risk. This was the overarching message of a recent ASC News webinar focused on 2026 payment dynamics and growth strategies. “We’re going to grow, which is great; we just need to figure out how to do the … [Read more...]
ASCs Emerge as Bright Spot in McKinsey’s Sober Outlook for US Health Care
A new McKinsey & Company report paints a sobering picture of U.S. health care over the next several years, marked by margin pressure, policy disruption and uneven recovery. Yet amid the turbulence, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and outpatient care models are positioned for sustained growth. “Post-acute and outpatient care continue as bright spots supported by segments such as home health, hospice, and [ASCs], with an aging population and continued site-of-care shifts fueling … [Read more...]
Rise in Off-Site Sterilization Services Highlights Growing Importance for ASCs
Instrument sterilization inside any health care facility is crucial for patient safety. Failing to sterilize properly can lead to serious consequences. In May, Parkwest Surgery Center, an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) based in Knoxville, Tennessee, was sued by four patients claiming they contracted an unusual bacteria during knee procedures in 2023. This resulted in multiple emergency room visits and repeat surgeries after their initial surgeries failed to heal, according to Knoxville news … [Read more...]
Executive Outlook, Part II: The Challenges That Could Define 2026 for ASCs
If 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) business model, it is also one that will test its limits. Rising labor costs, payer complexity, anesthesia shortages and margin pressure are operational realities that executives are confronting daily. The shift of higher-acuity cases into outpatient settings continues, but the economic and workforce infrastructure needed to support that growth has not always kept pace. For many operators, the challenge is … [Read more...]