Becker's ASC Review

33 TRANSACTIONS USPI striding ahead of competition in total ASCs, physicians By Alan Condon D allas-based United Surgical International Partners is strengthening its position as the leading ASC operator in the U.S., with its latest partnership adding 22 ASCs and more than 140 physicians to its network. e ASCs and physicians are expected to join USPI, Tenet Health- care's surgery center business, in the third quarter when its part- nership with Owings Mills, Md.-based United Urology Group is complete. Aer the deal closes, USPI will manage and jointly own the ASCs in Maryland, Colorado and Arizona with United Urology Group and its affiliated practices. At the end of the first quarter, USPI had an interest in 404 ASCs and 24 surgical hospitals in 34 states, stretching further ahead of its closest competitors, Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates and AmSurg and HCA Healthcare, both of which are based in Nashville, Tenn. It also has more than 11,000 affiliated physicians, the most of any ASC operator. As more services and procedures shi to the outpatient environ- ment, Tenet has been bolstering its ASC business to drive revenue. e company has splashed more than $2.5 billion in capital invest- ment to scale USPI since December 2020 and projects to see 12 percent growth in 2022 aer acquiring interest in about 160 ASCs in less than two years, company executives said in a February earnings call. USPI's recent acquisition spree includes $1.1 billion paid to acquire Towson, Md.-based SurgCenter Development — adding 85 ASCs to its network — and another $78 million to acquire the ownership of eight Compass Surgical Partners ASCs last year. In the next three years, USPI aims to add more than 160 ASCs to its portfolio, Saum Sutaria, MD, Tenet CEO, said during a J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January. USPI aims to acquire 77 to 90 ASCs through 2025, develop 30 to 40 new centers in partnership with SurgCenter Development, and develop another 32 ASCs with physicians. n The Orthopaedic Institute buys stake in ValueHealth ASC in Florida By Marcus Robertson P rivate equity-backed practice management company Orthopedic Care Partners is buying an ownership stake in value-based care company ValueHealth's ASC in The Villages, Fla. OCP is investing in the ASC through Gainesville, Fla.- based member practice the Orthopaedic Institute, the company said May 24. OCP comprises practices in- cluding the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., Creve Coeur, Mo.-based Motion Orthopaedics and Tucson (Ariz.) Orthopaedic Institute. The 28,000-square-foot ASC will occupy the second floor of the Center for Advanced Healthcare at Brown- wood (Fla.). It is being developed as a joint venture between ValueHealth, the Orthopaedic Institute and physician partners from The Villages Health. It will house four operating rooms and four procedure rooms, with room for future expansion. It will offer ser- vices in gastroenterology, pain management, gynecol- ogy, urology and orthopedics. The center will perform total joint replacements guided by Muve, ValueHealth's hyperspecialty orthopedic program. The ASC will join ValueHealth's national Ambulatory Centers of Excellence network with an advanced certi- fication in total joint replacement. The center will work with the neighboring Brownwood Hotel & Spa to offer recovery-focused suites. The ASC is expected to be complete by the end of 2022 and open to patients beginning in 2023. With the expansion and investment, OCP member the Orthopaedic Institute is also adding a medical office building lease in Brownwood. The practice plans to open it by Sept. 1. n Florida group practice joins US Urology Partners By Marcus Robertson Private equity-backed U.S. Urology Partners is adding Ormond Beach-based group practice Florida Urology Center. Florida Urology Center operates five locations in Ormond Beach, Port Orange, Orange City, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast, the practice said June 13. It has served the region for 30 years. "We are honored to welcome Florida Urology Center, which is well-known for its quality care and advanced technology, including a state-of-the-art surgery center," U.S. Urology Partners CEO Corina Tracy said in a news release. "The addition of Florida Urology Center expands our multi-regional clinical network, which now spans the East Coast and the Midwest." n

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