With rising operation costs, nurse shortages and a push toward industry consolidation, independent physicians and ASCs are having a hard time staying independent.
Here are five stats reflecting challenges ahead for ASC owners and operators:
13 million: Global shortage of nurses predicted by 2030 without sufficient recruitment and retention, according to a January report from the International Centre for Nurse Migration.
79 percent: Percent of medical groups that said that payer prior authorization requirements increased in the last year, according to a March poll conducted by the Medical Group Management Association.
108,700: Number of formerly independent physicians who are now employed by hospitals, private equity firms, insurers or other corporate entities, according to a report from Avalere.
$2.2 million: Amount surgery centers spent on employee salary and wages, about 21.3 percent of net revenue, according to the VMG Health "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study."
57 percent: Percent of U.S. small-business owners expecting economic conditions to worsen in the next year, according to a May survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal, a number equivalent to the all-time low recorded in April 2020.