MedPAC's 2019 commission report to Congress showed that the number of ASCs in the U.S. continues to grow, despite a number of closures.
1. The average number of Medicare-certified ASCs has increased slightly over the past half-decade:
2012
New: 176
Closed or merged: 114
Total: 5,216
2016
New: 159
Closed or merged: 90
Total: 5,474
2017
New: 189
Closed or merged: 60
Total: 5,603
2. The average annual growth in the number of ASCs since 2012 has been:
2012-2016: 1 percent
2016-2017: 2.4 percent
3. The geographic distribution of ASCs is uneven, according to MedPAC data from 2017. The state that had the most ASCs per Medicare beneficiary was Maryland, with 40 ASCs per 100,000 Part B beneficiaries. Wyoming, Alaska and Georgia followed Maryland at approximately 20 ASCs per 100,000 Part B beneficiaries. Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Alabama and Vermont all had the fewest ASCs per beneficiary at four per 100,000 beneficiaries.
4. 2018 MedPAC provider services file data from CMS shows that most ASCs are for profit:
For profit
Open in 2012: 93.6 percent
Open in 2017: 93.8 percent
New in 2017: 92.6 percent
Nonprofit
Open in 2012: 3.8 percent
Open in 2017: 3.5 percent
New in 2017: 5.8 percent
Government
Open in 2012: 2.7 percent
Open in 2017: 2.7 percent
New in 2017: 1.6 percent
5. Most ASCs are in urban areas:
Urban
Open in 2012: 92.5 percent
Open in 2017: 92.9 percent
New in 2017: 94.2 percent
Rural
Open in 2012: 7.4 percent
Open in 2017: 7.1 percent
New in 2017: 5.8 percent
Note: Some totals don't add up to 100 percent due to rounding.