Becker's Healthcare October 29, 2025
As the healthcare landscape evolves, ASCs are navigating a complex mix of financial, operational and competitive pressures that threaten their independence and profitability.
Here are three market pressures shaping ASCs today:
1. Payment disparities between ASCs and HOPDs
ASCs are facing obstacles in the “lack of equity in contracting and payment” between hospital outpatient departments and ASCs, according to Sally Wright, CFO of Puyallup, Wash.-based Meridian Surgery Center.
ASCs are reimbursed significantly less than hospitals for performing the same procedures. A Blue Health Intelligence analysis found that procedures performed in HOPDs can cost up to 58% more than those in ASCs or physician offices. For example, colonoscopies cost 32% more in hospital settings compared to ASCs.
These disparities affect more...
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