Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1479222
17 ASC MANAGEMENT The opposition behind 3 ASCs By Patsy Newitt is year, three ASCs, two of which have been cleared for construction, faced opposition from a variety of players. e parties opposing the three centers: 1. Local residents A $67 million medical complex with an ASC under construction in Amherst, N.Y., is facing criticism from the town's residents. e 163,000-square foot project is tied to UBMD Physicians' Group and Kaleida Health, both based in Buffalo, N.Y. Residents told e Buffalo News that negotiations surrounding the project were unfavorable to taxpayers, and that they are worried the complex is taking away park space and displacing young athletes. Specifically, they are concerned the town will have to spend millions to build new football, soball and baseball fields that are being eliminated by the development, according to the report. "In Amherst, kids and taxpayers keep losing, while developers reap the benefits," resident Mary Wood told e Buffalo News. Supporters of the project said the center will generate enough revenue for the town to build new fields in Amherst. 2. Competing ASCs and hospitals In July, Heart & Vascular Institute of Alabama was cleared to build a single-specialty ASC in Montgomery aer facing opposition from other hospitals and ASCs in the area. e project faced more than a year of opposition from other providers, including the Healthcare Authority for Baptist Health; Prattville, Ala.-based Jackson Hospital & Clinic; and Jackson Surgery Center. Aer an administrative law judge twice recommended denying approval, the judge recommended the project June 29, and the certificate of need review board approved the application July 22. e providers who opposed the project said it will lead to an "unnecessary duplication of services." Baptist South already has three cardiac catheterization labs, according to documents presented by the opposing providers, and has seen a decline in outpatient catheterization cases in the last three years. e opposing providers also expressed concern that the ASC would shi resources and revenue away from hospitals. 3. Health systems Mobile, Ala.-based USA Health on May 24 broke ground on a 25,000-square-foot surgery center in Fairhope, Ala. Mobile-based Infirmary Health, the state's largest nonprofit health system, challenged the certificate of need board's unanimous decision to approve the ASC last year. Infirmary Health operates Bay Eyes Surgery Center in Fairhope and omas Hospital in Daphne, about 4 miles from the USA Health ASC. e $20 million ASC will be next to a 50,000-square-foot physician office building that is expected to be completed this fall. e surgery center, projected to open next spring, will have six operating rooms, two procedure rooms, 14 pre-op areas and 13 recovery rooms. n Envision Healthcare sees steep losses while AmSurg generates $55M in revenue By Patsy Newitt P hysician staffing firm Envision Healthcare, parent company of ASC company AmSurg, had its revenue fall again in the second quarter of this year, Bloomberg reported Aug. 23. The losses persisted despite the fact that AmSurg generated roughly $55 million in earnings, sources told Bloomberg. The company reported a loss of $26 million for the quarter, down from an alleged $221 million gain in the second quarter of 2021, sources told Bloomberg. According to the report, the losses can be attributed to high labor costs, changes in insurance plans and an ongoing contract fight with payer UnitedHealth, among other reasons. Envision's total revenue declined around 12.6 percent year-over-year to $1.6 billion. To combat the loss, Envision has been taking many of its out-of-network contracts and moving them in network. n Healthcare real estate group rebrands to reflect ASC focus By Alan Condon L eawood, Kan.-based healthcare real estate group Monument Healthcare Development has rebranded from its former name, Astoria Healthcare Properties, HC&O News reported Aug. 8. Monument Healthcare Development develops ASCs and medical office buildings for physicians, surgeons, health systems and other healthcare groups. Recent projects Monument spearheaded include St. Luke's Surgery Center in Chesterfield, Mo., Muve Chadds Ford (Pa.) Ambulatory Joint Replacement Center, Bryn Mawr (Pa.) Hospital's Orthopedic Surgery Center and The Retreat at Alameda's Senior Living Center in Phoenix. The company's next project is a medical campus including ASC and medical office building in Amherst, Ohio, in partnership with Cleveland-based University Hospitals, according to the report. n