Academic health centers are eyeing ASCs as potential investments as patient preferences and payer policy increasingly align with outpatient growth.
Michael Lewis, MD, the chair of anesthesiology, pain management and perioperative medicine at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health recently joined Becker’s to discuss the specific advantages and challenges academic ASCs face in healthcare.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length:
Question: What is your outlook on ambulatory growth at our organization?
Dr. Michael Lewis: We’ve seen a steady move from hospital-based to outpatient care, and it’s picking up speed. Patients want surgery and recovery closer to home when it’s safe, and the payment environment encourages that direction. Advances in surgical technique and technology have made it possible — smaller procedures, faster recovery, fewer hospital stays.
At Henry Ford Health, that shift shows up every day. Many cases that once required an overnight stay now take place safely in our ambulatory centers. Teams adjust constantly. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses work together so patients get the same quality and coordination wherever they go in our system. The goal is simple: care should fit the person, not the other way around.
2. What advantages (or disadvantages) come with developing ASCs through an academic institution?
ML: Working inside an academic system brings clear strengths. Patients know their care is connected to a place that teaches and studies — that creates trust. For trainees, ASCs are part of their education. They see the pace of outpatient work — smaller teams, quicker decisions, and constant communication to keep everything on track. ASCs also rely on the same safety and quality standards that guide our hospitals, so that culture extends naturally to the outpatient side.
Academic centers move carefully and decisions take time. We work to balance operations, education, and research, and that takes deliberate attention. When it all comes together, it’s gratifying. Patients receive great care, and our trainees see how collaboration really works in practice.
