Rising costs, often connected to inflation, have been cited as one of the top concerns for ASC leaders in the year ahead—especially when it comes to labor and supplies.
“ASCs are still one of the most efficient sites of care, but the margin pressure is real,” Andrew Lovewell, CEO of Columbia (Mo.) Orthopaedic Group, told Becker’s. “Inflation-driven labor costs, anesthesia availability, implant pricing and technology investments are rising faster than both Medicare and Commercial reimbursement in the ASC arena.”
Here are five notes on inflation in 2026 and how its impacting the ASC industry:
1. The Consumer Price Index, also known as inflation, rose .2% from November to December 2025, seasonally adjusted, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2. CPI rose 2.7% over the last 12 months as of December 2025, not seasonally adjusted.
3. The median level of investment required to support a physician full-time equivalent in a practice rose to $343,128 in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to data from Strata Decision Technology. This represents a 3.4% increase in cost compared with Q3 and an 11.5% increase from Q4 of 2024.
4. Physician expenses also rose in Q4, with total expense per physician FTE hit about $1.2 million for the quarter, up 6.3% from Q2 and up 8.9% from Q4 of 2024.
5. According to Vizient’s “Winter 2026 Spend Management Outlook,” released Feb. 3, overall healthcare supply chain inflation of 2.78% is projected from July 2026 through June 2027, with IT, facilities and purchased services now outpacing pharmacy in cost growth. IT hardware and software top the inflation forecast at 5.66%, followed by medical gases at 5%, IT services at 4.5%, facilities management at 4.13% and food at 3.63%
