As healthcare organizations and systems race to expand their outpatient networks, joint ventures can provide the right type of partnership to fuel ASC growth. But finding the right partner for a joint venture is paramount to fueling outpatient growth. Affordability and efficiency are priority considerations.
“We think about affordability not just being something that we state, but something that we’re truly trying to deliver on,” Dennis Butts, executive vice president and chief strategy and network development officer for Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, told Becker’s.
However, not all situations call for joint venture partnerships. Some red flags to keep an eye on include misaligned goals, poor communication and the potential loss of autonomy.
Here are what three recent joint venture partnerships signal within the industry.
Prisma Health and Atlas Healthcare Partners
Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health and Atlas Healthcare Partners created a joint venture partnership to build and operate more than 15 ASCs in South Carolina and Tennessee.
Aric Burke, CEO of Atlas HealthCare Partners, pointed to ASCs as the future of affordable healthcare in the U.S. Their new partnership with Prisma Health combines the clinical expertise and community health network of Prisma with the ASC development and management resources of Atlas.
“ASCs are critical to the current and future delivery of high-quality, affordable healthcare,” said Mr. Burke. “Our partnership with Prisma Health represents a significant step forward in expanding access to exceptional outpatient surgical care across the Southeast.
Kaiser Permanente and Renown Health
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Reno, Nev.-based Renown Health entered into a joint venture to operate an entire outpatient care delivery system.
The organizations plan to open two new facilities in 2026. In addition, Kaiser members gained access to Renown Health’s outpatient services through the partnership.
Kaiser and Renown will also operate a health plan together, adding a wrinkle beyond just the construction of new ASCs and outpatient centers.
Tampa General Hospital and Mass General Brigham
Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital and Boston-based Mass General Brigham are expanding their outpatient network in Florida through a new joint venture partnership.
The joint venture will expand and combine the organization’s facilities to grow outpatient care services, responding to the increasing demand for integrated, outpatient care and rapid population growth in the St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties in Florida.
“This collaboration brings together two leading academic health systems with a shared commitment to clinical excellence and innovation,” said Anne Klibanski, MD, CEO of Mass General Brigham. “By creating a unified ambulatory network, we can broaden access to trusted physicians and advanced outpatient services, improve health outcomes and deliver care that is more coordinated and patient-focused.”
