This month, Schenectady, N.Y.-based Ellis Medicine abandoned plans to build an ASC in Clifton Park, N.Y. — a surprising decision, according to real estate broker Richard Ferro.
Ellis Medicine had been planning the ASC development for nearly two years, as Becker's ASC Review previously reported. Mr. Ferro, a principal broker at Berkshire Hathaway Blake, said the system's decision to abandon the project bucks powerful trends reshaping today's healthcare landscape.
"It seems that we hear of a new surgery center or urgent care center coming to market almost weekly in the past year," he said. "In the past two years, six new surgery centers have been built or planned, and the number of new urgent care facilities has now grown to a number difficult to keep track of."
Such facilities offer less expensive care than hospital emergency rooms or other inpatient settings, Mr. Ferro said. Seeing the benefit, more operators are getting involved with these centers. Whereas hospitals used to be the primary operators, according to Mr. Ferro, independent physicians, physician groups and private companies from outside the healthcare space are entering the game.
For now, Ellis Medicine won't be one of those entities undertaking an ASC project. The health system said it will instead focus on expanding other services in Clifton Park.