Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare aims to average 20 outpatient facilities per hospital by 2030, with ASCs anchoring the surgeon side of the strategy.
CFO Mike Marks outlined the target Sept. 15 at the Jefferies Healthcare Services and Technology Conference. HCA has grown from about 12 outpatient facilities per hospital in 2023 to more than 14 today.
“Our goal, based on what we’re seeing in our markets, is that that would likely be 20 outpatient facilities per hospital by the end of the decade,” Mr. Marks said.
Five things to know:
1. HCA runs about 150 ASCs across 43 markets in 19 states. Mr. Marks said the centers “help us secure our surgeons” because surgeons can invest in them. Those surgeons then tend to operate in HCA hospitals when patients need inpatient care.
2. The inpatient-only list is speeding the shift. Mr. Marks said orthopedics and spine are among the areas most affected this year, as more of those procedures move to outpatient settings.
3. Elective volumes are softening. Mr. Marks said coverage losses through the health insurance exchanges are the main driver of HCA’s elective surgery slowdown. He also cited inpatient-only list changes and consumer affordability.
4. Urgent care is the entry point. HCA bought Texas MedClinic, a 40-center urgent care network, on Aug. 1. Earlier this year it added 17 urgent care clinics in the Carolinas and 13 urgent care centers in Texas. The goal is to make it “seamless and convenient” for patients to reach HCA’s hospitals or ASCs when they need higher-acuity care, Mr. Marks said.
5. Tenet has gone further. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare’s USPI had ownership interests in 538 ASCs and 26 surgical hospitals in 37 states as of June 30, compared with Tenet’s 50 acute care hospitals. Tenet plans to spend at least $250 million a year on ASC acquisitions. Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems keeps the hospital as its hub instead. CEO Kevin Hammons has said some peers are “moving individually into areas like surgery centers, in some cases even competing with their own hospitals.”
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
