Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners increased its board to nine members with the appointment of a hospital industry veteran.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed healthcare, and while surgery centers benefit from being isolated from directly fighting the pandemic, change was prevalent throughout the industry last year and will remain a constant going forward.

The pandemic accelerated the shift to outpatient surgery and ASCs as physicians and patients sought elective surgeries away from hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. But the pandemic also placed financial constraints on surgery centers that made it more difficult for some to bring on new physicians.

San Diego-based ASCs Inc. named Stephanie Tarry as executive vice president.

It was a relatively slow week on Capitol Hill concerning healthcare but three big news stories stood out: 

ASCs in California are thriving, with new development growing to meet demand of the state's population.

The ASC landscape has evolved to become more challenging for independent centers and facilities reliant on low-acuity cases.

Six ASC leaders shared the resources and people they go to for business advice.

Roughly four years ago, Surgical Notes launched "The Note Pad," an online community of surgery center professionals exclusively for Surgical Notes clients.

Here are 11 recent surgery centers with job openings:

President Joe Biden had a town hall event in Milwaukee Feb. 19, where he talked about COVID-19 vaccine availability and pitched his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan. 

Two consultants from Cardinal Health discussed clinician self-care at the Jan. 26 webinar, "Nurse self-care: How to empower ASC clinicians to prioritize wellness."

From lapses in communication to poor morale among staff, eight ASC administrators told Becker's ASC Review what they feel hurts workplace culture most and how they overcome the challenges.

Super Bowl LV is set for Feb. 7 in Tampa Bay, Fla., between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. ASC administrators are torn between rooting for one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and a rising star on the opposite team.

Following the criminal charges filed by the Department of Justice in January, civil cases are beginning to emerge against Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates. 

Independent ASCs in western New York stopped competing for volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic and united to help each other thrive, Buffalo Business First reported Feb. 4.

Austin, Texas-based Pain Specialists of America named Pankaj Mehta, MD, as its chief medical officer, according to a Feb. 2 news release.

San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based SLO Surgery Center launched its "pay-it-forward" campaign by donating more than 600 pounds of food and $2,000 in cash to a local food bank, local NBC affiliate KSBY reported Jan. 29.

Here's a roundup of ASCs hiring administrators, using Google's Job Search tool: 

Robotics continues to grow in the ASC space, with many centers adopting or adding systems over the past year. Here are 10 leaders at the helm of centers that have pushed into robotics in 2020: