The ASC sector was highly active in the third quarter, marked by a wave of acquisitions, including several in which ASCs were part of larger physician practice deals, according to an Oct. 29 article in JDSupra by Nashville, Tenn.-based law firm Bass, Berry & Sims.
Here are five things to know:
1. Optum’s SCA Health confirmed in August that it acquired Exton, Pa.-based U.S. Digestive Health from Amulet Capital Partners in January. U.S. Digestive Health includes more than 250 gastroenterology providers operating across 40 sites and 24 ASCs in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
2. EyeSouth Partners, an ophthalmology platform backed by Olympus Partners, acquired Sunvera Group in August. Sunvera operates 15 practices and four ASCs across Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
3. Also in August, Great Hill Partners acquired a majority interest in Blue Cloud Pediatric Surgery Centers, the nation’s largest operator of pediatric ASCs specializing in dental and oral surgery. Blue Cloud operates 32 accredited facilities across 12 states.
4. Health systems and hospitals are also increasing their investments in the ASC industry. As of mid-August, health systems had announced more than 30 transactions involving physicians and ASCs since the start of the year.
5. Notably, Ascension announced plans to acquire AmSurg and its 250 centers for $3.9 billion. In a separate transaction, Neenah, Wis.-based ThedaCare acquired the Wisconsin Institute of Urology in Fox Crossing for $16.5 million. As part of that agreement, ThedaCare will become the majority member of the Wisconsin Institute of Surgical Excellence, an ASC.
