May/June 2022 Issue of Becker's ASC Review
ON THE COVER
Are ASCs warming up to private equity?
A few years ago, private equity was a dirty word among some circles of physicians and surgeons. The idea of accepting investment dollars in exchange for autonomy was unattractive for physician owners at best, and dangerous at worse.
The investment ASCs can't afford to skip
ASCs are in a great position to capitalize on the trend to value-based care. Surgery centers are the high-quality, low-cost setting for care and could save Medicare, insurers and patients billions of dollars every year by migrating outpatient surgeries to the low-acuity setting. But there is one thing holding them back.
Optum's strategy for 2022 growth
Optum spent the last decade investing in significant growth, adding thousands of physicians to its network and purchasing ASC company Surgical Care Affiliates in 2017. Now the company is focusing more on its primary care network, data offerings and $115 billion pharmacy and medical care business line.
The issue dividing ASC owners
ASC growth and expansion can be an uphill battle for independent centers. A controversial trend makes it easier for some and harder for others.
Healthcare's $979M physician problem
Turnover of primary care physicians results in about $979 million in excess healthcare expenditures annually for payers, according to a study published Feb. 26 in ScienceDirect.
What would it take to sell your ASC? Owners weigh in
Independent, physician-owned ASCs seem to get bought out more and more often by private equity, health systems and big ASC chains.
The 15 best, worst states for physicians in 2022
The top three states for physicians to practice medicine this year are in the Midwest and the worst are on the East Coast, according to one new ranking.
The payer trends impeding ASCs today
ASC owners and administrators are finding it more difficult to obtain payment from insurers as companies change coverage policies. But the current strain could push insurers and ASCs to find common ground on caring for the entire episode of care more efficiently and cost-effectively.
10 most common complications after ASC spine surgery: Study
The most common complications after spine surgery at ASCs are gastrointestinal, with vascular being the most infrequent, according to a study published in Clinical Spine Surgery in April.
Robots keeping the next generation of spine surgeons out of ASCs
Robotic technology is growing among spine surgeons, and fellows are learning to use the technology for more precise outcomes. But if they become too reliant on robotics for spine surgery, the transition to outpatient surgery centers could be problematic.
ASC MANAGEMENT
What's driving the next generation of physicians to private practice?
Between rising costs, physician burnout and increasing consolidation, physicians are increasingly choosing hospital employment over private practice.
Average ASC case mix by specialty: 2022
On average, gastroenterology makes up 32 percent of an ASC's case mix, according to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022.
Exec pay exceeds $100K for half of ASCs
Half of ASC administrators and directors earn six-figure salaries, with administrators in the South earning the most, according to OR Manager's 2021 career salary survey.
Insurer fined $339K after medical group, ASC contract termination
Health Care Service Corp., the parent company of BCBS of Illinois, was fined hundreds of thousands of dollars after terminating its contract with a 600-physician medical group and ASC.
The investment ASCs can't afford to skip
ASCs are in a great position to capitalize on the trend to value-based care. Surgery centers are the high-quality, low-cost setting for care and could save Medicare, insurers and patients billions of dollars every year by migrating outpatient surgeries to the low-acuity setting. But there is one thing holding them back.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
How much more consolidation will there be?
Consolidation continues to run rampant throughout the ASC industry, but is there a ceiling to how much there can be?
The power of positive word-of-mouth & CEO's 2 other keys to ASC success
ASCs, like all small businesses, can benefit from word-of-mouth recommendations.
The major forces deciding the future of healthcare
Does the future of healthcare hinge on patients, payers or providers? Eight ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss the forces shaping healthcare.
How 1 SCA exec is tackling market challenges
For Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates, tackling staffing and consolidation challenges requires a focus on sustainability.
How physicians can use social media like a business card
Social media is the new business card, and it may be one of the most effective ways for physicians to market themselves.
JOINT VENTURES
ASC chain that developed 250+ centers gets private equity investment
Raleigh, N.C.-based Compass Surgical Partners has secured a minority investment by Health Velocity Capital, a private equity firm that focuses on healthcare services and software businesses.
Health system adding 4 ASCs in Arizona: 6 details
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Apricus Health plans to add four ASCs in the state this year, the Phoenix Business Journal reported Feb. 15.
There's a new ASC-connected private equity venture in town
Private equity firms Vesey Street Capital Partners and MD Healthcare Partners are joining to build a multisite healthcare services platform.
Are ASCs warming up to private equity?
A few years ago, private equity was a dirty word among some circles of physicians and surgeons. The idea of accepting investment dollars in exchange for autonomy was unattractive for physician owners at best, and dangerous at worse.
Joint-venture cardio ASC opening in Texas
Chicago-based Regent Surgical Health and Amarillo-based Northwest Texas Healthcare System are opening a joint-venture cardiovascular ASC in Amarillo.
ORTHOPEDICS
Robots keeping the next generation of spine surgeons out of ASCs
Robotic technology is growing among spine surgeons, and fellows are learning to use the technology for more precise outcomes. But if they become too reliant on robotics for spine surgery, the transition to outpatient surgery centers could be problematic.
Devicemaker sued over hip replacement implants
Three hip replacement recipients are suing surgical devicemaker Exactech, Law Firm Newswire reported March 11.
10 most common complications after ASC spine surgery: Study
The most common complications after spine surgery at ASCs are gastrointestinal, with vascular being the most infrequent, according to a study published in Clinical Spine Surgery in April.
3 potential hot spots for spine care, practice growth
Florida, Colorado and Mexico are all areas where three experts and leaders believe spine care will accelerate and practices will gravitate to.
The 'perfect' robotic application for orthopedic surgery
Wisconsin orthopedic surgeon David Eggert, MD, began performing robotic-assisted joint replacements five years ago after the launch of Stryker's Mako system and has been impressed with the robot's application for complex cases, according to the Ripon Commonwealth Press.
GASTROENTROLOGY
Gastroenterologist pay by the numbers: 16 stats
Gastroenterology has consistently been among the top 10 highest-earning specialties in the U.S.
6 gastroenterology device companies to watch in 2022
Here are six device gastroenterology companies that have made big moves in the last year:
Meet a GI group focused on physician autonomy
Founded in April 2020, Brentwood, Tenn.-based One GI is a newcomer to the gastroenterology management group game, but the company is growing quickly.
1 legacy of COVID-19 will be waves of later-stage cancer patients, says GI director
The COVID-19 pandemic changed society in several ways, seemingly overnight.
3 GI execs on the future of outpatient gastroenterology
Healthcare has long been an industry of innovation, and in many ways gastroenterology is at the forefront. But what does that mean for the future?
TRANSACTIONS
Optum's strategy for 2022 growth
Optum spent the last decade investing in significant growth, adding thousands of physicians to its network and purchasing ASC company Surgical Care Affiliates in 2017. Now the company is focusing more on its primary care network, data offerings and $115 billion pharmacy and medical care business line.
St. Louis medical office building sold in $20M deal
Two buildings, including a medical office building, in St. Louis were sold to a New York developer for $20 million, the St. Louis Business Journal reported March 22.
The healthcare deals in the FTC's crosshairs
Healthcare deals are heating up as costs rise to provide healthcare services without a similar increase in pay. The Federal Trade Commision is keeping a close eye on industry transactions to halt any anticompetitive behavior.
2021 physician group acquisitions up 119%
The number of physician group acquisitions last year grew significantly over 2020, according to a report from professional service network PwC.
$13.7M California medical office building sold
Real estate investor Anchor Health Properties purchased a medical office building in Vallejo, Calif., for $13.65 million, North Bay Business Journal reported April 4.
HEALTHCARE NEWS
Why don't physicians have more power in healthcare?
Physicians are essential to the healthcare system. They treat patients, perform surgery, write prescriptions and conduct research advancing the field.
Independent physicians' consolidation alternative
As supply and labor costs rise and reimbursements decline, many physicians are flocking to employment models for compensation stability.
Hospital CEOs are joining the Great Resignation
The number of departing hospital CEOs is on the rise as C-level executives are grappling with challenges tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rudeness is on the rise — why?
It's not just you, and it's not just in healthcare: Poor behavior ranging from the impolite to the violent is having a moment in society right now.
Travel nursing by the numbers: 9 stats
ASCs are struggling to recruit and retain nurses, in part because of skyrocketing travel nurse pay — creating what some administrators call a "wage war.