June 2026 Issue of Becker’s ASC Review
On The Cover
The new ASC president tasked with scaling a radical fixed-price surgery model
Zionsville, Ind.-based WellBridge Surgical Center, a multispecialty, free-market ASC operating almost entirely outside the traditional insurance model, has named Tom Valentine — a leader with 30 years of experience in manufacturing — as president.
ASCs’ strongest weapon against thin margins
ASCs face rising financial pressures on multiple fronts, from declining reimbursements to rising costs of supplies and labor.
The accountability problem hiding inside ASC safety culture
When something goes wrong in an ASC, the instinct is often to find fault fast. But the leaders building the strongest safety cultures are doing the opposite — slowing down, looking at systems first and creating the kind of psychological safety that makes staff actually report problems before they escalate.
When physician groups hit the wall: 3 turnaround stories
While the financial headwinds battering healthcare are not new, some independent physician groups are blazing their own trail out of penury and debt toward financial solvency.
Why 70 orthopedic surgeons are betting on independence
For years, hospitals and health systems have grown larger. Now, some orthopedic surgeons are trying a different strategy. They’re getting bigger so they can stay independent.
The cracks in ASC care delivery — and how leaders are fixing them
From data-driven quality dashboards to new frameworks, ASC leaders are moving beyond reactive care, building systems where safety is structural, outcomes are measurable, and patients feel supported long after they leave the procedure room.
Where are physicians moving?
The physician workforce is not just shrinking, it is redistributing.
The missed colonoscopy problem ASCs can no longer afford to ignore
Roughly half of patients with an abnormal stool-based colorectal cancer screening result never complete the follow-up colonoscopy. For years, that statistic has been framed primarily as a public health problem.
The nursing workforce is shifting — here’s how SCA Health is staying ahead of it
Dare Meeks, RN, has spent more than two decades shaping nursing in the ASC space, but her foundation was built at the bedside, in the high-stakes environment of a coronary and thoracic ICU.
ASC Management
The new ASC president tasked with scaling a radical fixed-price surgery model
Zionsville, Ind.-based WellBridge Surgical Center, a multispecialty, free-market ASC operating almost entirely outside the traditional insurance model, has named Tom Valentine — a leader with 30 years of experience in manufacturing — as president.
ASCs’ strongest weapon against thin margins
ASCs face rising financial pressures on multiple fronts, from declining reimbursements to rising costs of supplies and labor.
Medicare Advantage uses ASCs as much as traditional Medicare. Here’s why that could be an issue
Medicare Advantage now covers more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries, and it is built around financial incentives to reduce costs, but it uses ASCs at virtually the same rate as traditional fee-for-service Medicare.
The safety issue hiding in ASC staffing
When something goes wrong at an ASC, the instinct is to look at what happened in the moment, but a growing number of ASC leaders say the more important question is what was already broken before the incident occurred.
Thought Leadership
The nursing workforce is shifting — here’s how SCA Health is staying ahead of it
Dare Meeks, RN, has spent more than two decades shaping nursing in the ASC space, but her foundation was built at the bedside, in the high-stakes environment of a coronary and thoracic ICU.
The cracks in ASC care delivery — and how leaders are fixing them
From data-driven quality dashboards to new frameworks, ASC leaders are moving beyond reactive care, building systems where safety is structural, outcomes are measurable, and patients feel supported long after they leave the procedure room.
The accountability problem hiding inside ASC safety culture
When something goes wrong in an ASC, the instinct is often to find fault fast. But the leaders building the strongest safety cultures are doing the opposite — slowing down, looking at systems first and creating the kind of psychological safety that makes staff actually report problems before they escalate.
Orthopedics
Why 70 orthopedic surgeons are betting on independence
For years, hospitals and health systems have grown larger. Now, some orthopedic surgeons are trying a different strategy. They’re getting bigger so they can stay independent.
Why Campbell Clinic’s Ballad Health partnership felt like ‘a natural extension’
A new orthopedic partnership in Tennessee is giving Campbell Clinic the opportunity to work in tandem with a health system while strengthening ties with another private practice.
How spine, orthopedic groups can stop the surgeon exodus
Expanding and modernizing training programs, as well as engaging potential surgeons earlier in their education are crucial to improving the spine and orthopedic surgeon pipeline.
Gastroenterology
Insurers overturn 80% of denied IBD therapy claims on appeal — but only 4% are ever challenged
CMS in 2024 documented a striking gap at the center of the prior authorization system: Medicare Advantage plans, on average, overturn 80% of denied claims when they are appealed, while only 4% of denied claims ever reach that stage.
The missed colonoscopy problem ASCs can no longer afford to ignore
Roughly half of patients with an abnormal stool-based colorectal cancer screening result never complete the follow-up colonoscopy. For years, that statistic has been framed primarily as a public health problem.
5 GI leaders to know
From independent practice builders to academic innovators, these five gastroenterology leaders are shaping how GI care is delivered, researched and led in 2026:
Transactions
When physician groups hit the wall: 3 turnaround stories
While the financial headwinds battering healthcare are not new, some independent physician groups are blazing their own trail out of penury and debt toward financial solvency.
How much are physician practices actually worth right now?
Physician practice valuations have come down from their COVID-19 pandemic-era peak, but the market is still active and PE remains the dominant buyer.
The health system dominating the Southern ASC game
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health opened the doors June 16 to Scotts Hill Medical Center, a $294 million, 66-bed surgical hospital straddling the Pender and New Hanover county border near Wilmington, N.C., Wilmington Biz reported June 12.
Where are physicians moving?
The physician workforce is not just shrinking, it is redistributing.
Healthcare News
‘Nothing is off the table’: CommonSpirit ramps up $6B turnaround plan
Things are likely to get worse before they get better for Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.
Rural health’s $50B won’t cover $160B in HR 1 cuts: Report
The $50 billion Congress set aside for rural healthcare in HR 1 will be outpaced by Medicaid, ACA marketplace and SNAP cuts by 2029, according to a June 9 report from The Commonwealth Fund.
Healthcare faces ‘watershed moment’ with costs jumping 9% in 2027: 7 things to know
Commercial healthcare costs are projected to rise 9% in 2027, the highest medical cost trend in nearly two decades, according to PwC’s annual “Health Behind the Numbers” report, published June 11.
