1. On the negative side:
A. Increased competition and litigation regarding physicians who are being acquired and/or employed by hospitals.
B. Increased peer review actions by centers regarding physician quality issues.
C. More compliance review efforts regarding billing and coding.
D. More consolidation among payors and more aggressiveness against payors — at times, they act like nipping or baying dogs.
E. Increased acquisitions of practices by hospitals.
F. Increased competition for a limited number of doctors.
2. On the positive side, we see:
A. Strength and backbone from the leading ASC specialties as to remaining independent — i.e., not becoming employed by hospitals.
B. Continued profitability at a great number of centers.
C. Great interest in buying centers by hospitals and national companies.
D. The possibility of a changing attitude in Congress — and, in the long run, the White House (albeit after 2012) — towards entrepreneurial healthcare.
E. Some hospital systems again looking seriously at ASC cluster strategies.
F. The periodic movement of new types of procedures into ASCs.
G. ASCs smartly managing their margins, given the pressure on revenues in some places.
H. Several management companies greatly streamlining and improving their own shops.
We hope you find this issue helpful. Should you have any questions or can we be of any help, please contact Scott Becker, publisher of Becker’s ASC Review, at sbecker@beckershealthcare.com or call 1.800.417.2035.
Very truly yours,
Scott Becker
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.
