Introducing a New Service Line at Your ASC: You Want to Do What?

Surgical procedures have been increasingly migrating from traditional inpatient settings to a variety of outpatient settings. Many ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) will be facing the question of how to add new service lines at their facility. This article will outline, in a stepwise manner, some of the considerations before undertaking new procedures at the ASC.

Several market research reports predict continued growth in the ASC sector for both revenue and procedural volumes. The key drivers of this growth are improved surgical capabilities, advanced anesthetic techniques, cost savings, update in payment policies from CMS increasing payment rates under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System, and changes to the Medicare inpatient only list over the last 3 years. It is expected that ASCs will see higher volumes of surgical procedures with an estimated 15% increase by 2028.

By starting with a clear business plan and involving key stakeholders from the outset, what can seem like a daunting task can be broken down into a number of parallel processes enabling a successful and sustainable implementation of the new service. Future research should include the impact of value-based care on patient and economic outcomes.