When the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its new Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model this summer, the agency framed the program as an effort to cut down on unnecessary spending, fraud and abuse in Medicare. But for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), the six-year test could mean new layers of prior authorization, administrative work and uncertainty around how advanced technologies will be applied in clinical decisions. The voluntary … [Read more...]
Compass Surgical CFO John Hammack: ASC Growth Demands Transparency
John Hammack has joined the executive team at Compass Surgical Partners as chief financial officer. Hammack’s appointment is anticipated to strengthen the company’s ability to launch, operate and expand high-performing ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) for physician and health system partners. Hammack has led multi-site businesses through successful transformations and steady organic growth, according to Compass. His expertise includes consumer services, technology, real estate and health … [Read more...]
Compass Surgical Partners, Bon Secours Mercy Health Expand ASC Network
Bon Secours Mercy Health and Compass Surgical Partners have opened a new ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in Newport News, Virginia, a project notable for clearing one of the toughest regulatory hurdles in the country. The JV partners had to secure Virginia’s Certificate of Need (CON) approval, a requirement that enables the facility to serve Medicare patients. Historically, Virginia has been one of the rougher CON markets, limiting ASC development in the state. The Coastal Virginia Surgery … [Read more...]
From Dental and Behavioral Health to ASCs: How Chris Fromme’s Diverse Background Is Shaping Compass Surgical Partners’ Next Chapter
The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry is entering a new era – one that’s marked by higher-acuity care, increasingly complex joint ventures and an urgent need for infrastructure that can support rapid growth. Compass Surgical Partners is betting that a multi-sector operator with experience in both scaling and transformation is the right person to help lead that charge. The ASC management and development company recently named Chris Fromme as its new chief operating officer. Fromme … [Read more...]
Where ASC Leaders Plan to Invest in 2026
Already looking ahead to 2026, ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders are making plans for where they’ll put their dollars to work. Outpatient demand continues to climb, and with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) steadily opening the door to more procedures in the ASC setting, operators are thinking carefully about how to match that growth with the right investments. To get a better sense of what’s on the radar of surgery centers, ASC News asked operators to pull … [Read more...]
Compass Surgical Partners Taps Chris Fromme as COO at ‘Transformative Moment for the ASC Industry’
Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) development and management company Compass Surgical Partners is beefing up its leadership team. Compass announced on Sept. 9 that ASC industry veteran Chris Fromme has been named to the COO role. Fromme’s more than 25 years of health care experience includes stops at ASCs, dental practices and behavioral health organizations, Compass noted in its announcement. Fromme most recently served as CEO of Star Dental Partners. He held the COO role at Behavioral … [Read more...]
ASCs Still Struggling with Prior Authorization Despite Payer Pledges
Prior authorization has long been one of the most frustrating challenges in outpatient surgery. For ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), where speed and access are supposed to be big advantages, prior authorization often feels like the opposite, sources told ASC News. And even with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and major payers promising change, ASC leaders and technology vendors say the problem is still very much there. “Prior authorizations have been the bane … [Read more...]
CMS Proposes Major Site-of-Service Shift, But ASC Leaders Leery of Unintended Consequences
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving to dramatically reshape the surgical care landscape with its 2026 proposed payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The nearly 1,000-page document, released July 15, outlines plans to phase out the Medicare Inpatient Only (IPO) list, significantly expand the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL) and make targeted changes to the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program. Industry stakeholders … [Read more...]
Compass Surgical Partners Taps Former SCA Health Exec as Chief Development Officer
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...]
AMSURG, Compass, Destin Surgery Center Leaders Discuss the Future of ASCs
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...]