Mr. Yerden founded Aspen Healthcare in Boulder, Colo., in 1992. In 2005, Aspen was sold to a leading surgery center corporation. During Aspen’s 13 years as a leading ASC firm, Mr. Yerden and his team planned, developed, opened and managed more than 75 surgery centers in 26 states. Mr. Yerden has since worked with many of the former executives from Aspen in responding to the growing demand for short-term consultative services and interim leadership support for surgery centers, surgical hospitals, and hospital-based surgical enterprises across the country.
Prior to forming Aspen Healthcare, Mr. Yerden was the chief operating officer for Medical Management, in Boise, Idaho; executive director of ASMG Outpatient Services in San Diego, Calif.; and regional manager of ambulatory surgery for Intermountain HealthCare in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In an interview with Becker’s ASC Review, Mr. Yerden discussed observations about physician-hospital joint ventures. Hospitals are aggressively pushing ahead with acquisitions because they want to build networks for accountable care organizations, he said. If they are not buying ASCs, they are buying surgery practices and bringing surgery volume in-house. “Hospitals’ acquisition mode will continue over the next few years, but when they feel they have enough ASCs for their needs, they will close the door,” Mr. Yerden said. Since it takes about one year to complete an ASC sale, physician-owners will need to act soon, he said.
