Patsy Newitt

Physician-owned hospitals have been a contentious topic in healthcare for years, especially since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, which placed limits on new and expanded physician ownership of hospitals. 

Here's the growth moves of three of the largest ASC chains in 2024:

Denials of claims are increasing, along with the administrative burden of managing them. 

The number of private practices is rapidly declining as physicians continue to migrate to employed models. 

All five of the country's richest physicians are self made to some degree, according to Forbes. 

ASCs and hospitals are facing obstacles in securing IV fluids after flooding produced by Hurricane Helene damaged a Baxter International plant in Marion, N.C., that makes 60% of the nation's IV fluid products. 

Similar to the orthopedic boom a decade ago, cardiology has emerged as the next major growth opportunity for ASC growth as these high-acuity cardiac surgeries migrate to the outpatient setting. 

ASCs and hospitals are increasingly joining forces as healthcare consolidation accelerates, and more procedures shift to outpatient settings, driven by payer preferences and patient demand for lower-cost alternatives. 

ASCs continue to face significant challenges securing anesthesia providers due to declining reimbursements and growing shortages. Many centers are being forced to rethink their anesthesia models as competition increases, making it harder to retain anesthesiologists.

The ASC industry is facing a new dilemma: An aging physician population looking to cash out, but not necessarily to larger consolidators.