Becker's ASC Review

20 TRANSACTIONS What's driving Novant's ASC expansion By Patsy Newitt W inston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health is accelerating its outpatient strategy as it builds out a 25-center ASC network designed to shi volume out of hospitals and closer to patients. Leslie Barrett, BSN, RN, senior vice president of ambulatory surgery strategy and execution at Novant Health, told Becker's the system is focused on creating a flexible outpatient platform that supports physician alignment, capacity management and long-term value- based goals. "Novant Health is building a flexible, scalable outpatient surgical network in a way that benefits everyone involved," she said. "It offers patients affordability and expanded access close to home." At the center of Novant's strategy is site-of-service optimization. As more procedures become clinically appropriate for outpatient settings, the system is migrating lower-acuity cases to ASCs, freeing hospital capacity for more complex patients. With new centers coming online, Novant can move cases more seamlessly into ASC settings, improving throughput while better aligning patient needs with the appropriate level of care, Ms. Barrett said. To support that shi, the health system has implemented governance tools to guide site-of-service decisions and standardize processes across markets. It has also developed staffing models and recruitment pipelines built to scale as outpatient volumes grow. Novant is also calibrating its expansion plans alongside recent certificate-of-need changes. "We are being thoughtful about these needs and how they align with recent certificate-of-need changes as we begin the year," she said. "ese recent changes enable us to continually evaluate how different care settings fit into the broader healthcare continuum to provide the most quality and value for our patients." Novant expects specialties such as orthopedics, ophthalmology, gastroenterology and pain management to continue driving outpatient growth due to their efficiency, predictability and strong ASC fit. To attract and retain physician partners, the system offers multiple alignment structures, including syndication, co-management services, MSO services and tiered equity models. e goal is to provide flexibility while ensuring operational consistency across the network, Ms. Barrett said. As payers increasingly prioritize cost control and outcomes under value-based models, Novant views its ASC strategy as both an operational and financial lever. e system's strategy also allows Novant to respond to "shiing expectations from payers to prioritize outcomes in a value-based care model, all while complementing our broader system goals," she said. n Inside SCA Health's strategy for partnering with 60+ health systems By Patsy Newitt D eerfield, Ill.-based SCA Health, Optum's ASC arm, is one of the largest ASC operators in the country and has steadily expanded its footprint through joint ventures with hospitals and health systems. As of late 2024, Optum's subsidiaries include 423 ASCs, according to a new "Sunlight Report" by the Center for Health & Democracy, funded by Arnold Ventures. SCA Health has more than 370 specialty clinical care locations, more than 400 physician practice clinics and approximately 9,700 physicians, according to its website. A cornerstone of SCA Health's growth strategy is partnering with health systems. The company works with more than 60 health systems nationwide, and roughly half of its ASC facilities include a health system partner. "Health systems excel at acute care, and our partnerships are strengthened by the ambulatory expertise we bring," Matthew Humbarger, group vice president of payer engagement and strategy at SCA Health, told Becker's. "We work closely with systems to identify opportunities to expand access and shift appropriate procedures into the ASC setting." As reimbursement pressure mounts and more procedures migrate to lower-cost settings, SCA Health positions itself as an ambulatory-focused partner that can help systems extend their outpatient networks without shouldering the full operational burden alone. The company supports health systems in designing and operating ASC networks that align with specialist growth strategies, improve operational efficiency and lower the total cost of care, while fitting into the system's broader market and network strategy, according to Mr. Humbarger. Lindsay Lowder, SCA Health's group vice president of operational innovation and strategy, said the company's national scale is a key differentiator. "We can share what's working in other markets and help systems respond to reimbursement pressures by connecting the dots within the specialist landscape," she said. n

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