Becker's ASC Review

12 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP The future of ASCs in 1 word By Riz Hatton The future of ASCs may prove to be simultaneously bright and challenging. Six ASC leaders connected with Becker's to answer, "What is the future of ASCs in one word and why?" Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Barbara Clancy-Sweeney. Administrator of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia): Boundless. As advances continue to be made in medicine and technology, more and more procedures become outpatient and are pushed to the ASCs by the payers. Andres Duran. Administrator of Brownsville (Texas) Surgery Center: Growth. Ambulatory surgery centers will continue to grow via acquisitions and de novo facilities. As healthcare transitions to value-based care, ASCs will be vital to that transition, as they perform outpatient procedures at lower rates [compared to] hospitals without affecting patient outcomes or quality. Managed care organizations see the value in that, as do patients. Laura Galeazzi. Administrator of Antelope Valley Surgical Institute (Lancaster, Calif.): Challenging! The rising cost of registered nurses in a very competitive market will continue to drive costs up and potentially cause private centers to evaluate their reasons for why their surgery center should or should not remain open. Additionally, some centers are still struggling with rising costs of anesthesia providers. Providers with varying degrees of experience and expertise continue to increase facility cost and challenge surgery centers. Mary Rose Graham, BSN, MSN. Director of Southtowns Surgery Center (Orchard Park, N.Y.): Growth. ASCs will continue to grow more business as a more cost-effective alternative to the hospitals. Insurances are pushing surgeons to do more cases in the ASC due to lower cost to patients and payers. This will continue in the future. Robert Lerma. Administrator of Coronado Surgery Center (Henderson, Nev.): Agile. Blane Uthman. CEO of Spine Center of Excellence (Bossier City, La.): Ascendant. n number of physicians retiring at a time when the U.S. population will need more healthcare as they grow older and sicker. is is a concern as we were already facing a shortage of physicians, especially in primary care. Because of the pressures and challenges created by the pandemic, we're seeing more widespread adoption of types of changes we've been trying to drive for a long time — with a dramatic increase in virtual care options to increase the ease, convenience and accessibility of care. Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD. Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive at Houston Methodist: One significant disruptor in the healthcare industry is the use of AI and machine learning technologies. ey are fundamentally changing the way healthcare is provided, with potential implications for the role of physicians and other healthcare providers. AI is entering all medical fields, specifically in ophthalmology and in retina, the field I specialize in. While AI can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy, personalized treatment, and efficiency in healthcare, we must be mindful that we must find the balance between helping our patients and creating new problems. n ASC margins can't take it anymore By Laura Dyrda F or many ASCs, margins can't tighten anymore. But cost pressures persist and insurance companies haven't adjusted to reflect rising supply and labor costs. Andrew Lovewell, CEO of Columbia (Mo.) Orthopaedic Group, joined the Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers podcast to talk about how major headwinds are changing the way surgery centers plan for the future. Below is an excerpt from the conversation. Note: e interview is slightly edited for clarity. Question: What are the major headwinds you are seeing? Andrew Lovewll: When you talk about challenges ASCs are facing, it's different in any market. We worry about whether we are going to be able to staff our operating rooms reasonably because of the anesthesia shortages all over the country. What about scrub techs? What about nurses? All of the pressures of trying to provide appropriate levels of staffing for the organization is a massive issue. On top of that, you've got the compression of the margin where you look at what we used to be paid for procedures, and then all of a sudden supply costs go through the roof and prices still haven't come down. You'e got your [Blues, United, Cigna, Aetna health plans] that haven't adjusted reimbursement to make up for the new normal post COVID, and what we have for cost pressures. It comes down to the federal government and what's going to happen when it comes to loosening restrictions with the inpatient only list, or increasing Medicare reimbursement from the standpoint of Baby Boomers now needing care. ere are pretty massive things right now that we're trying to surmount, and it doesn't seem like there is any movement in the industry to adequately address them yet. Q: What are you seeing in the supply chain space and how are supply costs affecting your center? AL: One of the things you have to keep in mind is when you look at the ASC space, the margin compression is not something that's

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