Amanda Ryan, DO, MBA, Chief Executive Officer and Physician Owner at Advanced ASC of Carlsbad New Mexico

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Summary

Guest: Amanda Ryan, DO, MBA, CEO & Physician Owner, Advanced ASC of Carlsbad, New Mexico
Host: Francesca Matthews
Date: September 21, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Francesca Matthews interviews Dr. Amanda Ryan, an interventional cardiologist and the CEO/Physician Owner of Advanced ASC (Ambulatory Surgery Center) of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The discussion provides a candid, on-the-ground perspective on trends affecting ASCs (with a cardiology focus), the challenges and opportunities unique to rural healthcare facilities, the evolving role of technology like AI, and Dr. Ryan’s vision for growth and physician autonomy at her center.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Amanda Ryan’s Background & ASC Launch

• Background:
  • Trained as interventional cardiologist; medical school graduate in 2003, finished training in 2010.
  • Practiced in Florida for five years, then moved to Carlsbad, NM.
  • Worked for a large hospital system before launching an independent practice four years ago and opening the ASC 18 months ago.
  • “I worked for a large hospital system for six years and then decided to venture out on my own into the ASC space and launched an independent practice four years ago. And an ASC 18 months ago officially opened.” (00:44–01:05)

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2. The Top Three Trends in Healthcare & ASCs

• Reimbursement Changes:
  • Cardiovascular procedures, especially AFib ablations and electrophysiological procedures, are seeing promising reimbursement updates for 2026.
• Staffing Creativity:
  • Staffing remains a major pain point, with an extra layer of difficulty in rural settings due to lack of access to qualified personnel.
• Access to Care:
  • Rural patients face not only healthcare workforce shortages but significant barriers to timely, quality care.
• Quote:
  • “Staffing. I think that's just a common theme that we're all dealing with and how to be creative with staffing models.” (01:21–02:05)

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3. Technology & AI’s Role in Rural Healthcare

• AI’s Potential Benefits:
  • Reducing wait times, improving outcomes, tracking quality metrics, and optimizing existing staff—rather than replacing jobs.
• Practical Constraints:
  • Many AI solutions are priced out of reach for rural centers (e.g., $4 per appointment call is cost-prohibitive).
• Quote:
  • “We have a lot of calls that are just confirming appointments...We looked, but it was like $4 a call, honestly. And that's not too realistic.” (03:02–03:18)
  • “We'd like to make the people we have more efficient, obviously.” (02:41–02:46)

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4. Physician Autonomy & Meaningful Partnerships

• Evolving Notion of Autonomy:
  • Autonomy is not about “staunch independence,” but about finding partners aligned with one’s vision and having mutual accountability.
• Importance for Rural Healthcare:
  • Collaboration is essential, but it must be grounded in shared values for meaningful growth.
• Quote:
  • “That doesn't really mean, like to me, it doesn't mean staunch independence. I answer to no one because I think that's a naive thought. We all are answering to one another and having accountability in our healthcare system." (03:53–04:10)

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5. Growth Strategies and Local Needs

• Service Line Expansion:
  • Main growth focus: introducing electrophysiology, especially afib procedures—critical due to the “epidemic” prevalence and the region’s lack of access.
  • Local patients currently wait 6–9 months and travel hundreds of miles for these services.
• Quote:
  • “As atrial fibrillation is epidemic and underserved people often waiting six to nine months traveling for 3, 400 miles in our region to see an electrophysiologist...That's really our biggest growth focus right now.” (05:15–05:41)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On AI Cost Barriers:
  • “We looked, but it was like $4 a call, honestly. And that's not too realistic.” — Amanda Ryan [03:02]
• On the Reality of Autonomy:
  • “I answer to no one because I think that's a naive thought. We all are answering to one another and having accountability in our healthcare system.” — Amanda Ryan [03:53]
• On Rural Healthcare Gaps:
  • “Lack of access to care for patients, lack of access to quality staff. So really trying to be creative again at how we fill those gaps.” — Amanda Ryan [01:44]
• On Ambition for Electrophysiology Services:
  • “Really trying to come up with a way to bring electrophysiology services to our area. And that's really our biggest growth focus right now.” — Amanda Ryan [05:36]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:27 — Dr. Ryan’s background and how she launched her ASC
• 01:21 — Three major trends: reimbursement, staffing, rural access
• 02:15-03:28 — Discussion on technology, practical uses of AI, cost inhibitions
• 03:40 — Vision for growth, the meaning of physician autonomy, and partnerships
• 05:15 — Service line expansion: focus on electrophysiology for local communities

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Tone and Takeaways

Dr. Ryan speaks candidly as both a clinician and administrator, balancing optimism about new reimbursement and growth opportunities with realism about the persistent challenges faced by rural ASCs. She emphasizes innovation through technology—with a critical eye for affordability and applicability—and stresses collaboration based on shared vision rather than isolationist autonomy. Her approach is practical, mission-driven, and highly attuned to the needs of her community.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, this is Francesca Matthews with the Beckers ASC Review Podcast. I'm thrilled to be joined today By Amanda Ryan, D.O. mBA, Chief Executive Officer and physician owner at Advanced ASC of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Amanda, thank you so much for being here today.

[B]

Thank you. Thanks for having me. I'm excited.

[A]

Yeah, of course. Me too. And to start us off, could you please just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit more about your background?

[B]

Yes. So, again, my name is Amanda Ryan. I'm an interventional cardiologist. Finished my training back in 2010, graduated from medical school in 2003. So then practiced in Florida for about five years, and then I've been here for 10 years in Carlsbad, New Mexico. I worked for a large hospital system for six years and then decided to venture out on my own into the ASE space and launched an independent practice four years ago. And an ASC 18 months ago officially opened.

[A]

Hey, excellent. Well, yeah, that's not. Not too long ago. So I'm excited to get your perspective as, you know, someone who's kind of in the early stages ish of your journey. That being said, what are the top three trends you're following today in healthcare and ASCs?

[B]

Yeah, so I definitely think reimbursements. And in the cardiovascular world, there has been some good. 2026 is looking encouraging for bringing afib ablations and other kinds of EP procedures, as well as a little bit increased reimbursement in some of the interventional procedures. So that's good staffing. I think that's just a common theme that we're all dealing with and how to be creative with staffing models. And then in a rural area, just a lot of lack of access to care for patients, lack of access to quality staff. So really trying to be creative again at how we fill those gaps.

[A]

Absolutely. Yeah. That definitely echoes what I'm hearing from other ASU leaders, especially those in rural areas. I think a lot of those issues tend to kind of compound on themselves.

[B]

Definitely. How do we leverage technology? You know, AI. We talk a lot about AI and health care, but what exactly does that mean for the rural practice in ase and how are we going to really utilize it to decrease wait times, improve outcomes, track quality markers, decrease the need for some staff? I mean, again, I don't think, you know, some people have a fear of AI replacing people. We'd like to make the people we have more efficient, obviously.

[A]

And I think it also seems like there's, you know, there's so much talk about AI and to Seems like especially for rural centers, there's some degree of meeting folks where they're at. And we can't just say, you know, blanket statements about this. Wheeler won't help because different centers in different parts of the country are just right in different places.

[B]

We have a lot of calls that are just confirming appointments and stuff. We said it would be great if we had AI that could just, just help us with that piece. And we looked, but it was like $4 a call, honestly. And that's not too realistic.

[A]

Right? Right, yeah, absolutely.

[B]

I was like, oh, that sounds like great, but $4 a call, we're probably getting 400 calls a day. So clearly that's probably going to be out of our market of what we can afford to pay.

[A]

Right, right. It's making a little bit more than someone at the front desk at that point sounds like. Yeah. So that being said as well, what are, what else are you most excited about in this space?

[B]

I think growth, I mean the Cardiovascular space for ASCs is really wide open. I think the chance for physician autonomy. And that doesn't really mean like to me, it doesn't mean staunch independence. I answer to no one because I think that's a naive thought. We all are answering to one another and having accountability in our healthcare system. But I think finding people to partner with that maybe are more in line with our vision and mission is really what we're looking for. As we look to expand our services, we look to partner with other physicians who are like minded in their approach, which rural healthcare has a unique, you know, a unique approach.

[A]

Absolutely. That's so interesting. Just what you said about physician autonomy, it's something I'm hearing so much lately because I think, you know, people are really, a lot of folks, it seems, are seeking that increased autonomy, leaving larger health systems kind of, and finding their own definition of what that's going to mean to them. So it's interesting to hear your perspective on that.

[B]

Definitely. And like I said, I seek to partner with other like minded advanced business and physician partners. But it's just, I have a very narrow set of what I think is an appropriate mission and vision and I need people to fall within that in order to really help us achieve our goals.

[A]

Absolutely. And I mean you, you just touched on the growth aspect a lot there. But how else are you thinking about growth over the next 12 months?

[B]

So again, adding service lines, we're really looking at adding electrophysiology. As atrial fibrillation is epidemic and underserved people often waiting six to nine months traveling for 3, 400 miles in our region to see an electrophysiologist. So really trying to come up with a way to bring electrophysiology services to our area. And that's really our biggest growth focus right now.

[A]

Absolutely. Well, that is all I have for you today. Amanda, thank you so much for joining us. It has been a pleasure speaking with you and I look forward to connecting with you again in the future.

[B]

Yes. We'll see you at the next Becker's conference.

[A]

See you then.

[B]

Okay, great. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you. Bye.