St. Louis-based Ascension is poised to become one of the country’s biggest ASC operators, following its June 2025 bid to acquire ASC company AmSurg in a deal reportedly valued at approximately $3.9 billion.
The system said it is “strengthening its ambulatory surgery capabilities” through the planned acquisition, while also expanding into imaging centers and outpatient physical therapy sites.
Here’s what the system has been up to in 2026:
Financial results
Ascension reported improved operating performance in its fiscal second quarter, continuing a broader trend of financial stabilization. Operating revenue totaled $6 billion for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2025, down from $6.4 billion in the prior-year period, while operating expenses declined to $6 billion from $6.5 billion.
The system posted an operating loss of $51.6 million — an improvement from a $143.2 million loss a year earlier — and its operating margin improved to -0.9% from -2.2%. After accounting for nonoperating items, Ascension reported net income of $270.2 million, compared to a $110.2 million net loss in the prior-year period, driven largely by $411.7 million in investment gains.
Ascension also cited stronger patient volumes and more efficient care delivery. For the six months ended Dec. 31, same-facility revenue increased 10% year over year and length of stay improved by 1.9%.
“Stronger operating results are being driven by more efficient care delivery and increased demand across key services, allowing us to reinvest in access, clinical capabilities and community-based care,” Saurabh Tripathi, executive vice president and CFO, said. “We continue to exercise strong discipline in capital deployment as we expand clinical care to our communities.”
Shifting MA focus
As hospitals and health systems grow increasingly frustrated with Medicare Advantage plans, Ascension is among those rethinking how to continue participating. Delays in care, high denial rates and growing administrative burdens are prompting tougher contract negotiations and, in some cases, decisions to go out of network.
President and CEO Eduardo Conrado told Becker’s the Medicare Advantage program has strayed from its original purpose of providing better benefits and greater efficiency for seniors, and has instead become a source of friction for health systems and confusion for patients, many of whom aren’t fully aware of its restrictions until it’s too late.
Care delivery shift
Ascension is also redesigning its care delivery model as looming Medicaid cuts and the expiration of enhanced ACA premium tax credits threaten to increase the number of uninsured patients, strain emergency departments and intensify financial pressure on hospitals, Mr. Conrado wrote in a Feb. 16 LinkedIn post.
He argued that healthcare has historically been designed around facilities rather than patients’ real-world needs, particularly in moments when they are “scared, in pain or unsure where to turn.”
“For too long, healthcare has been designed around buildings instead of those moments,” he wrote. “That approach is no longer good enough…We spend a lot of time talking about access in strategy discussions. But strategy only matters when it turns into real change for people trying to get care. That change shows up in simple ways. How easy it is to get an appointment. How far someone has to travel. How much medication costs. How clear the next step feels. When those things break down, care is delayed, conditions worsen, and even the best care inside our walls cannot make up for it.”
New facilities
Ascension filed a certificate-of-need application for a $20.6 million, 11,345-square-foot emergency department featuring 10 treatment rooms, two triage rooms and one trauma room. The facility would be co-located with a new outpatient clinic operated by Dickson Medical Associates, offering primary care, express care, behavioral health and medical and surgical subspecialty services.
Separately, Ascension St. Vincent’s and Southeast Orthopedic Specialists, both based in Jacksonville, Fla., opened an 18,500-square-foot ASC in St. Augustine, Fla., as part of a larger orthopedic and spine campus.
Leadership moves
- Samuel Marchio was appointed senior vice president and chief government relations and policy officer.
- Samson Jesudass, MD, was named post-acute chief clinical officer, effective in late March.
- Megan Drake was appointed president of Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle, Texas.
- Daniel Jackson, CEO of the Ascension Wisconsin Ministry Market, will transition from his role on April 17.
- Ellis Hawkins was appointed president of Ascension Alexian Brothers, a 329-bed hospital in Elk Grove Village, Ill., marking his return to Ascension Illinois after a stint with Prime Healthcare.
- Cameron Duncan was named chief advocacy officer of Ascension Texas.
- Susan Newton was named vice president of finance for Ascension’s Florida market, effective Feb. 1.
- Sarah Cole was named vice president of national net revenue management.
Tamar Goldblatt was named vice president of payer revenue strategy and contracting.
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.