Running an ASC amid the COVID-19 pandemic comes with no shortage of challenges. Leasa Hermanson, MSN, RN, administrator of Vineland, N.J.-based Ambulatory Care Center, said her physician-owned center could be forced to partner with a larger entity if recruiting challenges persist.

Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International is hiring at least 18 administrators for its facilities across the U.S. 

Thomas Frist Jr., MD, co-founder and the major shareholder of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, has a net worth of $15.7 billion — the highest among nine physician billionaires listed on the Forbes annual list of the richest people in the world for 2021.

CMS plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all staff at ASCs and hospitals as a condition for participating in Medicare, which may place extra strain on many surgery centers already facing a staffing crisis.

Wilmington, N.C.-based, physician-owned EmergeOrtho named Allison Farmer as its first statewide CEO, according to a WilmingtonBiz report. 

More than 2 of 5 active physicians will be older than 65 in the next decade, but one surgeon said he thinks this could be a benefit for practicing physicians.

Confronted with rising COVID-19 cases in their communities, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are working to ensure their patient and staff communications provide the timely messages needed to maintain safety while continuing to perform the nonemergency surgeries that improve health and wellness.

Chris Bishop was named the CEO of Westchester, Ill.-based Regent Surgical Health in 2016 after previously serving as president. Here are six things to know about Mr. Bishop:

Here are 10 administrators to know:

Surgical Care Affiliates, United Surgical Partners International and AmSurg all have announced executive moves in the past year. 

Caitlin Zulla has served as CEO of Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates, UnitedHealthcare's ASC division, since December 2019. Jason Strauss has served as the president of SCA since January 2020.

The U.S. consistently ranks below other wealthy nations in measurements of lifestyle healthiness and preventive care. Ernest Ribera, MD, a gastroenterologist and medical director of the Burlingame, Calif.-based Mid Peninsula Endoscopy Center, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that he's seeing the effects of the trend firsthand.

Jeff Snodgrass has served as the president of Nashville, Tenn.-based AmSurg, Envision's ASC division, since 2020. 

Michael Dodd, administrator of Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based First Choice Surgery Center, didn't take the most straightforward path to his current position, he said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast." But rather than being a hindrance, it made him a better leader.

Necessity is the mother of invention, as the adage goes. Bill Berryhill, MD, managing partner of Waco-based Heart of Texas Cath Lab and Surgery Center, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that some of the biggest boons to ASCs and catheterization labs have come out of necessity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With emerging technologies and a devastating pandemic changing the face of healthcare, Daniel Weber, director of ambulatory care at Pendleton, Ore.-based Adaugeo Healthcare Solutions, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that he's especially interested in the evolution of information technology.

Brett Brodnax is the president and CEO of United Surgical Partners International, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

ASC executives are looking ahead for 2022 budgeting, but uncertainty related to COVID-19 will continue to throw a wrench in short-term strategic plans.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ramped up stress levels for healthcare professionals, causing some to reevaluate their work-life balance. Others have left the field altogether, creating a need for new clinicians. Christine Blackburn, BSN, an administrator at the South Kansas City SurgiCenter in Overland Park, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that she has to change things up when recruiting younger surgeons to her ASC.

If the past decade is any indication, the field of orthopedic surgery could look dramatically different in 2031 than it does today. According to these seven orthopedic surgeons, some of the most likely changes include shifting roles for clinicians.