The ASC industry faces a constant stream of emerging technologies and strategies marketed as essential to growth — but not every innovation offers measurable value. It’s up to administrators to decide which investments truly strengthen operations, patient care and financial performance.
Becker’s spoke with seven ASC leaders about how they winnow genuine investment opportunities that hold long-term promise amid all the market noise.
What do you see as a smart investment for ASCs today — and what’s just hype?
Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Shakeel Ahmed, MD. CEO, Atlas Surgical Group (St. Louis): The smartest investment is in surgeons. Physician ownership drives long-term sustainability, while private equity risks eroding control and value. Recruiting and supporting strong surgical talent delivers consistent revenue. On the other hand, “shiny” technologies such as expensive robots often fail to generate return, draining profits for years.
Elisa Auguste. Administrator at Precision Care Surgery Center (East Setauket, N.Y.): Technology and AI can be powerful investments when they streamline workflows, such as patient tracking tools or platforms that centralize credentialing and reporting. But not every tool is worth adopting. If a system doesn’t reduce redundancies, improve efficiency or enhance quality, it’s not an investment — it’s hype.
Dan Chen, MD. Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Scranton, Pa.): Cost-effective advancements in spinal navigation, imaging and robotics are smart bets as spinal fusions shift to outpatient. Compact, affordable options can improve precision and safety while differentiating ASCs in competitive markets. By contrast, large, expensive platforms that inflate overhead without proportional benefits risk becoming hype.
Jonathan Godin, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at The Steadman Clinic (Vail, Colo.): The best investment is in people. Recruiting and retaining nurses, anesthesiologists and other staff delivers returns in patient care and efficiency. Meanwhile, AI startups promising quick gains should be approached with caution — time will tell whether they provide real value or simply hype.
Mandy Hawkins, BSN, RN, CASC. ASCA Board Member and CEO of Three Hawks Advisors (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.): Smart investments are defined by alignment with organizational goals and cost-effectiveness. Health IT platforms for EHR, revenue cycle and compliance can be valuable if they deliver measurable savings after factoring in upfront time and cost. Tools branded with “AI” that don’t address existing pain points, or disrupt workflows without clear return, fall into the hype category.
Shane Stanford, MSN. Senior Consultant, Accountable Physician Advisors (Westerville, Ohio): Wise ASC investments include advanced minimally invasive tools, strong EHR integration and specialty centers in high-demand areas such as orthopedics. Overhyped areas include underutilized robotics, trendy wellness add-ons and premature AI applications. True value comes from boosting patient care, efficiency and profitability, not chasing trends.
Ed Tolentino. Administrator of Outpatient Surgery Center of Central Florida (Wildwood): Technology that directly improves efficiency and patient outcomes — such as advanced imaging, surgical equipment and data analytics platforms — is worth the investment. But “all-in-one” solutions or flashy service expansions that don’t add measurable value can increase complexity without benefit, turning innovation into hype.
