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- [00:00]
A
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- [00:36]
B
Is Gracelyn Keller with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast and we are recording live at the 31st annual business and operations of ASCS. I'm currently joined by Aziza Dorsey who is the COO at APMG. Aziza, thanks for being here. Let's kick off by having you share a little bit more about yourself and your work in the ASC space.
- [00:55]
C
Yeah, thank you. Happy to be here. So, you know, all the work I do is currently in an ambulatory surgery center focused on spine pain and ortho. Those are the specialties that we focus on in Los Angeles. So it's very different market I'm hearing here at the conference than other states. But we have five surgery centers across Southern California and 10 clinics. So it's a lot of work. You know, our budget is very big and you know, we have a lot a large patient population, but yeah, wonderful.
- [01:29]
B
Well, let's start our conversation talking about the ASC market in the US this is projected to reach $60.8 billion by 2030 and continues to experience strong year over year growth. So from your perspective, what are the most significant trends in market forces driving this expansion and how should ASC leaders be preparing today?
- [01:49]
C
Great question. You know, number one, insurances, they've decided that they want to save money and cost cut wherever they can. And they've learned that hospitals are very expensive for the same procedures that can be done in an asc. I would say Covid was a huge driver of that. It made it known especially the Hospitals Without Walls program which ended in 2023. That was a huge driver for the ASC market. And now patients are aware ASC is actually an option. And second to that, patients paying out of pocket. Right. Deductibles are getting higher, cost of insurance is higher. To get the same procedure in an ASC is cheaper for a patient than it is to do it in a hospital. And then availability. Think about how long it takes for you to get pain relief or a spine surgery. In a hospital setting, you know, they prioritize most critical to least critical. And so if you're in that least critical end, even though to you it is very critical, the system is not designed that way. So you might wait one to two months, maybe even upwards of four months, depending on how impacted your city or state is. And if you go to an asc, you could be seen in one to two weeks and no more than a month. Right. So you can get relief really quickly. Private equity has caught on to this and they've decided that they're going to drop a lot of money into growing the ASC market. So that is why.
- [03:11]
B
Absolutely. And from AI and robotic surgeries to advanced EHR systems, technology remains both a make or break factor and a critical driver of ASC operations at scale. So how do you see deeper tech integration shaping the way ASCs deliver care and manage their business over the next few years?
- [03:30]
C
Tech integration, Any tech is going to change an ASC. Many ASCs are behind the curve when it comes to digital technology. A lot of them are on paper, still trying to figure out how to digitize with such an ever changing team. Unlike in a clinic setting where everything is very stable, the staff in an ASC constantly turn over. You're using per diems, you're using, you know, temp agencies, things that do not make it as easy to do. Digital charting. ASCs that have figured out how to master that will continue to do better and outperform the ones that haven't and follow up.
- [04:10]
B
Is there one specific technology or innovation that stands out to you as especially transformative?
- [04:16]
C
I would say digitizing your ehr, even if your notes are paper, but you upload into a system to track that is the only way you're going to know your true return on investment and how much your ASC is actually performing and where those gaps are. If you're doing paper and you're uploading into an ehr, it will help you. But if you actually chart in the EHR, it's golden. So, digital EHR for sure.
- [04:43]
B
And with 60% of health systems considering ASC joint ventures and many ASCs already partnering with systems in their communities, what opportunities do you see for collaboration, whether with other providers or vendors, to strengthen patient care and operational efficiency?
- [04:59]
C
I think that's a tough question because sometimes when you're doing a partnership or joint venture, your goal and their goal do not align. So first and foremost you want to focus on making sure your internal goals all align and then the external goals of this joint partnership align. You know, some of these private equity companies want to purchase an ASC but have no way to get patients through the door. And that doesn't help the asc. Or they want to focus on cost saving versus quality of care. So really making sure that any partnership that's going to happen, you evaluate your organizational goals first. But there are situations where it matters. And even if you want to strengthen that care or operational efficiency, you may want to retire and the goals might not align. But your retirement goal supersedes the issue of, you know, patient care efficiency. So.
- [05:54]
B
Absolutely. Well, Aziza, thanks so much for joining me today. Is there anything we didn't touch on or any final thoughts you'd like to share?
- [06:00]
C
No, I think really first and foremost, as I said, goals first. What is it that you're trying to achieve with your ASC and continue to try to be private practice if you can, and get creative. That's the way to do this. Creativity is key.
- [06:16]
B
Wonderful. Well, thanks so much for being here. Again, we are recording live at the 31st annual Beckers Business and Operations of ASES.
- [06:24]
C
Thank you.