As health systems accelerate their shift toward outpatient care, the executives overseeing ASC strategy are becoming more and more consequential.
From building 30-center ASC networks to managing $1 billion in ambulatory development pipelines, these five leaders are shaping how their organizations compete.
1. Shaun Cartwright: COO of HCA Healthcare Surgery Ventures (Nashville)
Shaun Cartwright was named COO of Surgery Ventures in July 2025, overseeing all operating regions encompassing 150 ASCs across 16 states. He previously served as SVP of operations for the Western Region, overseeing 47 surgery centers across eight markets.
2. David Cannady, MD: Chief strategy officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati)
David Cannady, MD, is the architect of Bon Secours’ partnership with Compass Surgical Partners to develop more than 30 ASCs across all states where the system operates. He has emphasized the need for systems to build internal expertise alongside external partnerships to identify service lines and procedures where ambulatory migration makes sense.
“We are focused on ensuring we have proper pacing and prioritization of projects that allow us to scale efficiently,” Dr. Cannady told Becker’s in 2024. “We are also committed to developing solid physician partnerships and securing managed care contracts. Compass brings significant experience and expertise in each of these areas, and we are already seeing the value of our partnership in accelerating our ambulatory footprint.”
3. Peter Bravos, MD: Chief medical officer of Sutter Health Surgery Center Division (Sacramento, Calif.)
Sutter Health has more than $1 billion in ambulatory projects underway across Northern California, with 27 developments in various stages and a surgery center division that is actively expanding capacity across the system. Dr. Bravos has framed the constraint on that growth not as a physical one but as an operational one — OR utilization, anesthesia coverage, staffing and scheduling.
“As our ASC capacity expands, the primary constraint is no longer physical space, but the effective planning of OR utilization, anesthesia coverage, staffing, and scheduling,” he told Becker’s. “By shifting from reactive to proactive scheduling and leveraging data with access management, we will improve patient access, optimize existing capacity, as well as strengthen physician and workforce engagement. Ultimately, this will afford us the opportunity to scale growth safely while maintaining high performance and delivering sustainable value.”
4. Mandy Gerlach: COO of Baptist Health South Florida Outpatient Services (Coral Gables, Fla.)
Baptist Health’s ASC strategy is built around quality and safety hardwired into daily operations. Thirteen Baptist Health ASCs were among 37 recognized by The Leapfrog Group for patient safety in 2025 — a distinction Ms. Gerlach said reflects years of building a culture grounded in consistency and communication.
“This strategy lets hospitals focus on acute care, complex orthopedic procedures, and cancer care while shifting less acute cases to ASCs,” Ms. Gerlach told Becker’s.
5. Steven Hanks, MD President and CEO, Trinity Health New York (St. Peter’s Health Partners, Albany, N.Y., and St. Joseph’s Health, Syracuse, N.Y.)
Trinity Health New York spent 2025 deliberately shifting capital away from hospital-heavy investments toward lower-cost ambulatory settings, with plans to continue expanding primary care centers, orthopedic centers, ASCs, and outpatient cancer partnerships into 2026. Dr. Hanks has since taken on expanded system leadership responsibilities to include Trinity Health of New England. “That shift from an inpatient focus to an outpatient focus is one that’s been going on for some time, but it really started to take hold in 2025, and I think the timing could not be better,” Dr. Hanks told Becker’s. “H.R. 1 is going to take quite a bit of revenue out of the healthcare system over the next several years. I think all of us are looking at our cost structure and how we maintain the high quality of services and keep them accessible to our communities, and at the same time maintain financial sustainability.”
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.