Casper (Wyo.) Surgical Center has grown its case volume every year since 2022. When leaders looked at a physical expansion, they decided they didn’t need more space yet. They needed to make better use of the space they already had.
“One of the lessons that we learned was that growth doesn’t always require adding more rooms,” Kevin Youmans, CEO and administrator of the center, told Becker’s. “Sometimes it’s better to improve utilizing the current capacity.”
The multispecialty center is a physician-hospital joint venture. Its recent growth has meant hiring more staff, staffing more of its existing rooms and bringing on more anesthesiologists. Mr. Youmans said the goal now is to grow “thoughtfully, rather than just getting bigger.”
Mr. Youmans said the center uses four questions to separate real opportunities from growth for its own sake:
- Demand: Do patients need the service?
- Physician interest: Do surgeons want to do it at the ASC?
- Operational fit: Can the center provide that care well?
- Economics: Does the math work for the center and its partners?
“The economics have to work in order for us to bring it to the surgery center because we are looking to maximize our capacity, but do that in a way that adds value to our physician and hospital partners,” he said.
Mr. Youmans said shelving the expansion doesn’t close the door on it. The analysis leaves the center ready to move when the numbers call for it.
“I think that exercise will help us when the data tells us that additional space is necessary,” he said. “We’ll be in a much better position to make that decision.”
He said the center’s market works both for and against it. Casper’s limited workforce pool means investments have to be thought through carefully. But being a small physician-hospital joint venture also means less bureaucracy, so the center can weigh opportunities and decide quickly.
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.
