Looking ahead, 2025 may be the year of the outpatient orthopedic surgery center. That’s according to Jon Van Valkenburg, executive director of Upstate Orthopedics Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) in East Syracuse, New York, who spoke to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) for their podcast. In 2024, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added total shoulder arthroplasties to its approved procedures list for ASCs. That, in turn, created opportunities for … [Read more...]
ASC Ownership Showdown: Physician, Corporate or Joint Venture
The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) landscape in the United States is made up of several thousand facilities, which can be broadly categorized as physician-owned, corporate-owned, and joint ventures between physicians, health systems and operating partners. Each category carries distinct advantages and disadvantages, making it essential for ASC stakeholders to understand the nuances of each model thoroughly, industry leaders told ASC News. “There are many new and different ASC ownership … [Read more...]
ASC Quality Collaboration Launches Streamlined Tool to Help ASCs Meet CMS Standards, Improve Care
As it becomes more evident that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are both cost-effective and preferred by most patients, operators are left to prove that the outpatient setting is just as safe as a hospital. For example, cardiovascular procedures began shifting into the outpatient setting in 2020, when percutaneous interventions (PCIs) were added to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covered procedure list. The inclusion happened only after cardiologists banded … [Read more...]
Mount Sinai Health System Boosts Surgical Care Capabilities, Opens New ASC
One of the more innovative health systems in the U.S. is expanding its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) network. Mount Sinai Health System announced on Sept. 30 that it officially opened its Peakpoint Midtown West Surgery Center. The 25,106-square-foot ASC is a joint venture between Mount Sinai, area surgeons and Merritt Healthcare. “Peakpoint Midtown West underscores our commitment to expanding access to the latest surgical treatments and world-leading medical care for all patients,” Brent … [Read more...]
‘Not Being Forced to Compete on Hospital Terms’: Transparent Pricing Gives Ambulatory Surgery Centers a Leg Up
Over the past decade, Oklahoma City has seen an influx of visitors from out-of-state, and it’s not just for the National Cowboy Museum. The city is home to health care’s new frontier, according to Dr. Keith Smith of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma (SCO). “A $3,000 procedure at my facility is a $30,000 procedure in Miami, Idaho or California,” Smith told ASC News. SCO, co-founded by Smith, is one of the first ASCs in the U.S. to embrace fixed, transparent pricing. His facility offers a … [Read more...]
Site-of-Care Shifts Continue as Outpatient Procedures Migrate to ASCs
The U.S. health care system continues to become more decentralized. As part of that trend, health care services continue to trickle down from hospitals and health systems to freestanding entities, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). While the pace of such site-of-care shifts feels fast, it has actually been a gradual process. And ASCs have likely yet to feel the full force of the procedure volumes headed their way in the not-too-distant future, recent insights from the Advisory Board … [Read more...]
Beyond the Operating Room: How Bend Surgery Center Turned Culture into an Asset
Bend Surgery Center has steadily grown over the years, making a name for itself in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry. A big part of its success has been its organizational culture and commitment to excellence, according to administrator Todd Currier. Founded in the late 1990s, Bend Surgery Center has expanded from relatively modest beginnings to become a roughly 44,00-square-foot multi-specialty ASC with several operating rooms. Today, the surgery center has a patient volume of … [Read more...]
ASC Providers Slam CMS Inaction on Cardiology Codes, Confusing COVID Vaccine Reporting
In its 2025 proposed payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) floated a 2.6% increase to surgery center payments and adjustments to select quality-reporting measures. One thing CMS didn’t call for: key additions to the ASC Covered Procedures list for 2025. “It is disheartening that CMS established a new, supposedly more transparent process for submitting procedure codes that could be added to the ASC Covered Procedures … [Read more...]
[Updated] ‘We Want to Affect Change’: SurgNet Health Partners Targets Expansion, Growth Opportunities
Nashville-based SurgNet Health Partners is looking to expand, especially in underserved markets where there's a need for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Those markets will be critical as part of company’s growth and mission. “We want to be in the states that are underserved,” co-founder and CEO Chase Neal told ASC News. “That's really our focus, and where we're seeing deal activity is more in the Midwest, and the Upper East and the Southeast quadrants right now.” SurgNet Health … [Read more...]
‘Integral to Our Health Care Offerings’: Inside Intermountain Health’s ASC Strategy
Intermountain Health is one of the nation’s larger and more innovative health systems. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the organization is turning its attention to its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) strategy. The nonprofit health system is headquartered in Salt Lake City, but its operations span six states across the Intermountain West. Overall, Intermountain Health has nearly three dozen hospitals and more than 380 clinics. ASCs are a core part of its future, too. “We currently … [Read more...]