From staffing to technology, here is where three ASC leaders and surgeons are directing their investments:
Editor's note: Responses were edited lightly for clarity and length.
Annu Navani, MD. Founder and CEO of Comprehensive Spine & Sports Center (Campbell, Calif.): The growth in orthopedics, spine and pain has been steady and will remain so. These are safe specialties, as the need is always there and will continue to thrive for various reasons. First, they offer a vast spectrum of services, many of which can be administered via telehealth. In addition, there is a trend to drift toward minimally invasive surgeries that can be performed in nonhospital-based outpatient facilities like ASCs or in-office procedure suites that are less regulated and less likely to shut down during a surge of the pandemic. This has led to quite a bit of interest in investment in these specialties.
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Jeremy Statton, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Arthritis & Total Joint Specialist (Atlanta): Our biggest investments right now are in people. The ability to hire good people and keep them has changed immensely over the last two years. We used to take outstanding staff for granted, and now that has changed. We are working on finding new ways to show our staff how much we appreciate them. Our ASC can't compete with the kind of pay travelers get today, so we have to find other ways to show appreciation. We will definitely continue to expand our push into the ASC by moving our current hospital cases and opening new surgery centers. Still, without the right people, these efforts will not work.
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Stephanie Tarry. Executive Vice President of ASCs Inc.: For the outpatient industry, investments will be made into technology, equipment and new partners that will allow the operations to increase volumes with new service lines and advanced cases. The increased volumes and new service lines in the outpatient space will drive the need for additional capacity and center expansion to create continued growth in outpatient services.
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