Becker's Spine Review

37 ASC UnitedHealth Group's plan to drive more surgeries to ASCs By Laura Dyrda U nitedHealth Group made three long-term commit- ments as part of its sustainability efforts, including pushing more surgeries to ASCs, according to a June 15 company report. UnitedHealth Group aims to have more than 55 percent of its members' outpatient surgeries and radiology services deliv- ered at high quality, cost-efficient sites of care by 2030, which oen means directing patients to ASCs. In 2019, the compa- ny reported 47 percent of outpatient surgeries and radiology services were performed at high quality, cost-effective set- tings. UnitedHealth Group said it aims to meet its goal by: Providing physicians with point-of-care tools for shared de- cision-making about care delivery Guiding patients to low-cost care settings Developing digital tools for members to identify care sites that meet quality and cost standards Conducting more joint replacements in ASCs for commer- cially insured patients could save $20 billion in the next de- cade and lead to 500,000 fewer hospitalizations per year, the report stated. And shiing diagnostic tests from the hospital outpatient department to physician offices or standalone cen- ters could save members $300 per test and lower spending 62 percent, according to the report. OptumCare, the division of UnitedHealth Group's Optum that provides physician services, has 53,000 employed and aligned physicians who treat 20 million patients annually. UnitedHealth Group also said it's committed to closing 600 million gaps in care for members by the end of 2025 and en- suring 85 percent of members receive preventive care annu- ally by 2030. n 2 Arizona ASC chains plan big national expansions By Laura Dyrda Two ASC companies are making a splash nationally with ambi- tious growth in the next 24 months. Comprehensive Surgical Services opened its flagship ASC in Gil- bert, Ariz., this year and said in April the company partnered with an unnamed real estate firm to add 20 more centers in the next two years. The company said it aims to open facilities in California, Ida- ho, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Florida. The flagship center has three operating rooms and 11 exam rooms. The partners will spend at least $125 million to open the remaining planned centers, ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 square feet. Comprehensive Surgical Services is owned by Joel Rainwater, MD, an interventional radiology, oncology and vascular care physician. He previously founded Comprehensive Integrated Care, a physi- cian practice focuesd on heart care with locations in four states. In May, Mesa, Ariz.-based Surgery Center Services of America an- nounced expansion plans. The company has developed more than 300 ASCs nationwide and said it wants to open 14 more this year. The centers range from one-operating room ophthalmology and cardiology centers to three- and four-OR multispecialty facilities. The new centers are slated to open between July and October with sites across the U.S., including New York, California, Ohio and Arizona. Surgery Center Services of America works with physicians to de- velop all aspects of the ASC, including the feasibility assessment, project management, operations, licensure and certification. n Endoscopic procedure a first at DuPage Medical Group's new ASC By Alan Condon T he first endoscopic microdiscectomy procedure at DuPage Medical Group's new ASC in Westmont, Ill., was performed by Ashish Patel, MD. Endoscopic microdiscectomies offer many benefits for the treatment of herniated discs, such as smaller incisions, reduced blood loss and increased visualization to the spinal canal and nerves while minimizing the risk of muscle damage, according to a May 10 news release. "One of the main advantages is that patients experience reduced trauma to their surrounding tissues and ligaments due to the sur- gical technique, enabling them to return home the same day and experience a faster recovery after surgery," Dr. Patel said. The ASC, which opened in January, plans to add more endo- scopic spine surgeries in the future, as well as laminectomy and anterior cervical discectomy and stabilization procedures. DuPage has two other ASCs in Lombard and Naperville, Ill. n

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