Growth of Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have grown to represent an important method of health care delivery. Lately, the coronavirus pandemic has only accelerated the growth of ambulatory surgery centers, which is likely to continue into the foreseeable future.
The first ASC in the United States opened in 1970, after which ASCs saw a period of explosive growth through the late 1980s and into the 1990s. By 2020, the U.S. harbored nearly 6,000 ASCs performing an estimated 30 million procedures 1. According to recent reports, the American ASC market is only expected to keep growing—from $37 billion in 2021 to close to $59 billion by 2028 2.
ASCs present a number of advantages for patients. First, an increasing number of surgeries can be carried out in ASCs thanks to improving patient safety and quality measures, profitability, and enhanced patient outcomes. Second, ASCs tend to offer a better experience and minimize the incidence of nosocomial infection—indeed, by preventing exposures to potential risks in the main hospitals, patients can avoid certain complications that would negatively affect surgical outcomes. Finally, surgeries which are performed in an ambulatory surgery center setting enable rapid patient discharges—patients can leave the ASC the same day as the surgery, without having to sleep in the hospital, and able to recover at their own pace in the comfort of their own home.
For healthcare providers, in contrast to hospital settings, even though these provide more extensive resources, ASCs can provide the opportunity to exert more control over how clinical care is delivered 1. The scope of practice of an ASC tends to be more narrow, providing an opportunity to fine-tune skills and develop very specific programs. Health care providers can develop an orthopedic-specific ASC, for example. This provides the groundwork for the emergence of centers of excellence with a highly specialized focus.
An increasing number of different types of surgeries can now be safely carried out in ASCs. The number of ASC-performed orthopedic, spine and cardiac procedures is expected to increase the most through the mid-2020s 3. Orthopedic contexts in particular, such as elective hip and knee replacements, have seen the greatest shift—it is expected that over 50% of joint replacements will be performed in ASCs by 2030.
The shift of health care provision to ASC settings, associated with a greater degree of efficiency, results in billions of dollars of savings the healthcare system according to some estimates 4. Both Medicare and commercial payers cmay be able to save money as a result of an increased number of cases shifting to ASC rather than occuring in hospital contexts.
The growth of ASCs will go hand in hand with a few important trends. For example, since medical technology companies’ traditional commercial model is often too costly and complex for ASCs, the medical technology industry, among others, will have to adapt itself 3.
Ambulatory surgery centers are expected to increase in number across the United States into the foreseeable future, with no growth plateau in sight for now.
References
1. No Plateau in Sight for Ambulatory Surgery Center Growth | HealthLeaders Media. Available at: https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/no-plateau-sight-ambulatory-surgery-center-growth. (Accessed: 17th October 2022)
2. U.S. Ambulatory Surgical Centers Market Size & Report [2028]. Available at: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/u-s-ambulatory-surgical-centers-market-106323. (Accessed: 17th October 2022)
3. Ambulatory Surgery Center Growth Accelerates: Is Medtech Ready? | Bain & Company. Available at: https://www.bain.com/insights/ambulatory-surgery-center-growth-accelerates-is-medtech-ready/. (Accessed: 17th October 2022)
4. U.S. Ambulatory Surgery Centers Market Size Report, 2030. Available at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-ambulatory-surgery-centers-market-report. (Accessed: 17th October 2022)