Charlotte, N.C.-based OrthoCarolina plans to build its first standalone orthopedic ASC in Charlotte’s Steele Creek area.
Construction is set to begin before the end of 2026, with completion expected in late 2027. The center will have four operating rooms and two rooms for nonsurgical procedures, OrthoCarolina told Becker’s.
Planned procedures include carpal tunnel releases, rotator cuff repairs, total hip and knee replacements, spinal decompressions and neck fusions. The facility will employ 65 to 75 full-time staff members and 16 to 20 physicians. OrthoCarolina did not disclose the project’s total cost.
OrthoCarolina leaders estimate that 70% of elective, nontrauma surgeries can be performed safely in a freestanding outpatient setting. The Steele Creek center is part of a plan OrthoCarolina announced in May to expand its regional ASC capacity from four operating rooms to 10.
OrthoCarolina sold its physical therapy business to PT Solutions in January 2025 to help fund its outpatient expansion. The project follows North Carolina’s 2023 certificate-of-need reform, which exempted qualified ASCs in counties with more than 125,000 residents, including Mecklenburg County, from certificate-of-need requirements.
OrthoCarolina, led by CEO Leo Spector, MD, operates more than 40 locations and has been physician-owned since 1922.
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