Greenbrae, Calif.-based MarinHealth Medical Center and San Francisco-based UCSF Health have joined forces to purchase equity stakes in San Rafael, Calif.-based Marin Specialty Surgery Center, according to an April 15 report from the Marin Independent Journal.
The ASC is one of three outpatient centers operating in the county, and its ownership history has been turbulent.
Until 2018, the ASC was owned by MarinHealth, 20 local physicians and ASC management organization Surgical Care Affiliates, now SCA Health.
That year, MarinHealth sold its interest because it was "what the physician-owners preferred," Lee Domanico, MarinHealth's CEO at the time, told the Independent Journal.
Now the center is back to being owned by MarinHealth, UCSF and 11 physician partners as SCA has relinquished its stake to the two health systems.
UCSF holds a 20.4% share in the ASC, but ownership percentages of MarinHealth and the physician partners are unknown.
Under the new ownership agreement, UCSF physicians will begin treating patients at the center.
"SCA is an independent surgery center management group," Brian Su, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and chairman of the ASC, told the Independent Journal. "They're not affiliated with any physician groups locally, and while they're very good at building and operating the center, it's a challenge to grow the center when you don't have collaboration with a local health system."
Last year, MarinHealth's hospital outpatient department performed 6,249 outpatient surgeries while the ASC did about 2,400.