The fragmentation of the ASC market is primed for acquisitions at the individual facility level, according to a January report from VMG Health. 

Provider credentialing is a critical yet often overlooked element to successful revenue cycle management (RCM). Across the healthcare industry, there is a lack of awareness about how an efficient, accurate credentialing system can streamline medical practices’ RCM workflows and assist in capturing revenue that may otherwise be lost or delayed. This is because the connection between the benefits of a credentialing platform and the RCM function is not always intuitive nor immediately clear, causing departments to be siloed. However, bridging the gap between credentialing and RCM functions is essential for preventing revenue loss, reimbursement delays, and other challenges — and ultimately aids in bolstering practice efficiency and financial stability.

Achieving financial success in an ASC has become more difficult in recent years, with a growing list of challenges threatening and straining the bottom line. With less room for error, surgery centers are seeking solutions that can help them better navigate and overcome these barriers to viability and profitability. Revenue cycle outsourcing is one solution growing in popularity throughout the ASC industry and is becoming a preferred option for de novo centers.

A Midland, Mich.-based building housing the Great Lakes Bay Surgery & Endoscopy Center has sold for $9.8 million, according to a Feb. 16 report from REBusiness Online.

Although 68% of the ASC market remains independent, the industry saw continued consolidation in 2023, according to a recent report from VMG Health. 

The net inflation adjustment for ASCs is 3.1% in 2024, a full percentage point higher than the average since 2015.

It's been nearly one year since Amazon finalized its $3.9 billion acquisition of virtual and in-person primary care company One Medical. 

 The number of centers under management by the five largest ASC management companies has seen a compound annual growth rate of 4.85% since 2011, according to a February report from VMG Health. 

The percentage of ASCs that are independent shrunk from 70% to 68% from 2022 to 2023, according to a February report from VMG Health. 

Banner Health has sold a three-building outpatient medical building portfolio in Arizona for $32 million, according to a Feb. 15 report from REBusiness Online.

As physicians move away from private practice toward employment models, five major healthcare disruptors have been making waves in the race to acquire them. 

A two-building medical office portfolio in Carmel, Ind., has sold, according to a Feb. 14 report from REBusiness Online.

The 86,000-square-foot University Hospitals Wellness Campus medical office building in Mentor, Ohio, has sold, according to a Feb. 14 report from Commercial Property Executive. 

Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International, Tenet Healthcare's ASC arm, is the largest ASC chain in the country, with interest in 461 ASCs and 24 surgical hospitals throughout 35 states.

The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) sector continued to evolve in 2023, reflecting a trend of steady growth, higher-acuity cases, and some changing regulations. 2023 featured continued consolidation through a combination of investment by prominent ASC platforms and acquisitions made by new entrants in the market.

Here are five healthcare partnerships, acquisitions and mergers that ASC leaders should know, as reported by Becker's since Jan. 30:

Here is a rundown of how United Surgical Partners International, HCA Healthcare and Optum fared financially in 2023:

New York City-based NYU Langone has paid $33 million for a property in West Palm Beach, Fla., where it plans to build a medical office building, according to a Feb. 10 report from the Palm Beach Post. 

Tenet Healthcare's ASC chain, Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International, continues to spur the company's growth, according to a Feb. 8 earnings call transcribed by Seeking Alpha. 

Here are two big-ticket acquisitions pointing toward further consolidation within the ASC industry: