Facing declining physician reimbursement rates and soaring inflation, private practices face mounting challenges heading into 2025.

From emergent technologies and changing market dynamics to an aging population, a slew of trends could shape ASCs' survival and growth over the next five years.

Physician turnover is at an all time low at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, the American Medical Association reported Nov. 15. 

As an increasing percentage of surgeries take place within ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), it is critical for ASC management teams to sustainably serve higher patient volumes. ASCs have faced an uphill battle against rising costs, declining reimbursements, and ongoing staffing shortages. Executives often turn to anesthesia management companies to alleviate these challenges. However, if not managed properly, these partnerships can introduce a new slate of issues, including a lack of transparency, stifled innovation, and operational unpredictability.

As a healthcare professional, you chose your career to care for patients, but as your role has evolved, so have your responsibilities.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, and six leaders joined Becker's to discuss what this could mean for physicians. 

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Mehmet Oz, MD, as his nominee for administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

Advanced practice registered nurses who work on the Pacific Coast, including Alaska or Hawaii, receive the highest average annual compensation, according to Medscape's 2024 APRN compensation report published Nov. 14. 

During a featured session at Becker's 30th Annual meeting: The Business & Operations of ASCs, Brett Spark, president and cofounder of Aroris Health — a payer contract optimization firm — discussed the complexities of healthcare reimbursement and payer-provider relationships.

Physicians employed in hospital-owned practices are nearly three times more likely to report dissatisfaction than their peers in physician-owned practices, according to Bain & Company’s Frontline of Healthcare Survey, featured in an October blog post.

As ASCs navigate the ever-changing healthcare landscape, building a resilient or even an antifragile business model has become essential. 

Hospital consolidation and payer mergers continue to reshape the healthcare landscape, presenting significant challenges for ASCs and smaller practices. 

ASC and physician leaders are keeping a sharp eye on Stark law, which has evolved into a complex framework that continues to challenge compliance. 

Physicians are flocking to employed models, whether that be hospitals, health systems, private equity groups or payers. 

Physicians are increasingly concerned about independent practice viability amid another 2.83% cut by CMS.

Physician practices nationwide are struggling to fill roles amid widespread staffing shortages, with rural practices facing even greater challenges.

With autonomy top of mind for many practices, some groups are leaning on different models of ownership to reach economies of scale while keeping physicians in leadership positions. 

President-elect Donald Trump appointed Susie Wiles, his senior campaign adviser, as the next White House chief of staff. 

Labor costs continue to rise as ASCs compete with hospitals for staff. 

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based multispecialty physician group Holy Cross Medical Group has named Maggy Perez-Dickens as its new president, DotMed reported Nov. 11.