Here are three areas that ASC leaders can tap into for continued growth.
Cardiology
According to Avanza's "2022 Key ASC Benchmarks and Industry Figures" report, cardiology is the fastest growing ASC specialty. Though the specialty comes with a host of regulatory barriers, several cardiology procedures have gotten approval to be performed in outpatient settings. Cardiovascular ASCs aren't very common, but the specialty is ripe for growth.
Gastroenterology
Sap Sinha, COO at Allied Digestive Health, told Becker's, "There is an increase in colonoscopies in general because of the change in the age for mandatory colon checks for colon cancer from 50 to 45. Furthermore, we are also seeing an increase in chronic diseases such as IBD and IBS that also require procedures in the ASC."
These factors make gastroenterology a good specialty to have at any ASC as it can be a means of generating consistent revenue.
Orthopedics
According to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022, orthopedic surgeries bring in more revenue than any other specialty. The specialty also offers the highest reimbursements to ASCs, according to the report. As procedures such as total knee and hip replacements move out of hospitals and into ASCs, and additional procedures like total shoulders get approved for ASCs, surgery centers have a big opportunity to double down on orthopedics.