While ASCs remain largely independent, consolidation is still on the rise in the industry and a number of factors shape ASC independence. 

The state of Washington lost the most ASCs over the last two years and seven other states reported losses since December 2022, according to CMS data.

The number of ASCs across the U.S. is growing, and particularly so in California, Florida and Georgia.

Several specialties, traditionally believed to be mainstays of the hospital setting, are moving significantly toward ASCs, according to L.E.K. Consulting's "2024 ASC Insights Study."

United Surgical Partners International, SCA Health and AmSurg are among the largest ASC chains. Here is how the companies stack up based on the number of ASCs in their networks and affiliated physicians.

Fairfax, Okla.-based Ardent Health has acquired several clinics in Oklahoma and New Mexico to expand ambulatory services in both states, according to a Jan. 11 report from The Oklahoman.

Here are five numbers threatening ASCs in 2025:

Brunswick, Ga.-based Southeast Georgia Health System will relocate three of its physician practices.

Beginning Jan. 7, wildfires have been sweeping parts of California, including the Palisades, Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley and the Hollywood Hills. 

Nurse practitioners out-earned their registered nurse and physician assistant counterparts when it came to base pay in 2024, according to annual compensation reports from Medscape. 

Surgeon's Point Surgery Center in Cedar Park, Texas, is the first ASC in the world to utilize Moon Surgical's Maestro System, a digital surgical assistant.

The U.S. 2nd Court of Appeals recently revisited a whistleblower lawsuit against Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, creating a new development in the enforcement of the Anti-Kickback Statute, Policy & Medicine reported Jan. 8. 

Alexander Otellin, MD, a former physician in Charleston, W.Va., was sentenced to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the unlawful distribution of oxycodone.

A Texas physician had his medical license suspended after he was accused of being impaired during several procedures, The Fresno Bee reported Jan. 8.

The Lina Khan-led Federal Trade Commission is making one final attempt to secure a ban on worker noncompete agreements just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in, which is expected to usher in new FTC leadership. 

Alaska had the lowest levels of employee burnout in 2024, with a burnout score of 30.04 out of 100.

Wyoming had the highest levels of employee burnout in 2024, with a burnout score of 86.29 out of 100.

Downers Grove, Ill.-based Duly Health and Care, one of the largest multispecialty groups in the Midwest, has finalized an $18.6 million deal with Visage Imaging, a radiology vendor. 

Louis Schittly, MD, a French physician who helped found Doctors Without Borders, has died at age 86, according to a Jan. 7 obituary published by The Washington Post. He died in Mullhouse, France on Jan. 1. 

The New Orleans Fire Department responded to a fire at a Touro Hospital medical office building Jan. 6, according to a report from NBC affiliate WDSU.