The more complex healthcare becomes, the more ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and surgical hospitals need to stay abreast of new trends—and understand how to turn them into new opportunities. To get started, here are some of the key drivers impacting the industry today.
1. The government’s ever-expanding role in healthcare: New regulations from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) require physicians to do more and more administrative work to remain in compliance.
2. Value-based care: Linking reimbursements to patient outcomes continues to be a growing trend. The aim is to improve quality and the patient experience while lowering costs at the same time.
3. Healthcare consumerism: Patients are taking a greater role in making their own healthcare decisions. That includes reaching deeper into their own pockets to pay for care—which in theory could lead to patients making more informed decisions. As consumers continue to “shop” for the best value in healthcare (for them), ASCs will need to find new and more innovative ways to remain competitive.
4. Procedures are moving from an inpatient to an outpatient setting: This is occurring at an ever-increasing rate, as the drive continues to lower costs without impacting quality. By 2020, nearly 60% of outpatient surgeries will take place in an ASC setting, an increase of 46% since 2005.1
How will these drivers of change impact your own practice? What can you do now to turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities? Cardinal Health has deep experience assisting ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals with the resources and insights they need to customize the right strategic approach—no matter what happens next in healthcare. To find more information on the different ways Cardinal Health can help your ASC, click here.
1Advisory Board; LEK Consulting, Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Becoming Big Business (2017); Health Care Advisory Board interviews and
analysis.