Five ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss the future of ASCs.
Question: What is the future of ASCs in one word and why?
Editor's note: These responses were edited lightly for clarity and length.
Trina Cole. Administrator of St. Luke's Surgicenter Lee's Summit (Mo.): Challenging. There continues to be movement of cases to the outpatient setting. In relation, we are seeing increased costs of implants, supplies and anesthesia coverage, and a decrease in reimbursements. Although I agree that these cases need to move to this setting, the challenge is to remain profitable and sustainable for both the system and the investors.
Deann Davis. Administrator of Surgical Care Center (Painesville, Ohio): Adaptability: The ASC industry is becoming more adaptive due to the expansion of services that are being performed at ASCs.
James O'Leary, MD. CEO of Real Doc Speaks: The future of ASCs, in one word, is value. ASCs offer patients tremendous value compared to hospital outpatient departments. The ASCs charge a significantly lower fee than HOPDs, and this is becoming increasingly important for patients. Many patients have a high-deductible plan or have high co-pays or co-insurance costs. Self-funded plans pay the entire claim, and it is always smart to be careful about your employer's money, as high health costs reduce money available for raises. The other value proposition of ASCs includes greater convenience and efficiency compared with an HOPD. Patients spend less time in an ASC and that leads to patient and family satisfaction.
Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Founder and CEO of Sinkov Spine Center (Las Vegas): Bright (mostly). As spine surgeries are becoming less invasive, they will migrate more and more into the outpatient arena, including more complex procedures such as fusions. Declining reimbursements (relative to the increasing overhead costs) and consolidations may, however, slow down this growth.
Cherilyn Smith. Administrator of St. Johns Surgery Center (Fort Myers, Fla.): Questionable. The future of ambulatory healthcare faces potential uncertainty. While it may be preferred to stay far away from politics, especially in these seemingly volatile times, unfortunately, healthcare and the ASC realm particularly may not escape from its clutch and the effective government policies it may bring.