Jennifer Friend, Chief Executive Officer and Owner at Friend Surgical Solutions

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Episode with Jennifer Friend, CEO of Friend Surgical Solutions

Release Date: July 27, 2025

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Introduction and Background

In this engaging episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Laura Dardo welcomes Jennifer Friend, the Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Friend Surgical Solutions. Jennifer provides an insightful introduction to her role and the mission of her company.

“Friend Surgical Solutions is a consultant and medical billing group... I help providers with any licensure needs, any concerns, compliance, all of those tedious tasks on the business end of healthcare, so that way they can focus on the operations and keeping things going.”
— Jennifer Friend [00:28]

Jennifer holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in political science. She emphasizes how her background in political science has been instrumental in understanding the complexities of government operations, particularly in relation to Medicare and Medicaid.

“Knowing how the government works, how the government operates is very helpful in understanding Medicare and Medicare, Medicaid, CMS, HHS... and how it ties into our practice in healthcare.”
— Jennifer Friend [00:57]

Top Three Trends in Healthcare and ASCs

Jennifer delves into the current trends shaping the landscape of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs):

1. Growth of Procedures Moving to ASCs:

   • There is a noticeable shift of more procedures from traditional hospitals to ASCs, driven by the ability to handle these procedures effectively within the ASC setting.

2. Expansion into Office-Based Surgery Settings:

   • Procedures are increasingly being performed in office-based settings with monitored anesthesia care, allowing for lighter anesthesia coverage. This move helps alleviate some of the burdens on surgical centers by enabling more flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

3. Private Equity Involvement:

   • Despite a recent downturn in private equity interest, Jennifer anticipates a resurgence as players seek to re-enter the market. However, there is a prevailing sense of hesitation among stakeholders due to ongoing changes in the healthcare sector.

“With Medicare potentially cutting some rates, where can we make sure we're providing the most cost savings to make sure that the ASC is operating efficiently and effectively.”
— Jennifer Friend [03:14]

Exciting Developments and Key Considerations for ASC Owners

Jennifer highlights several exciting developments and strategic considerations for those operating surgery centers:

• Cost Efficiency:
  Understanding and managing operating costs is paramount. Jennifer urges physician owners to scrutinize their expenses to eliminate unnecessary spending, especially in light of potential Medicare rate cuts.

  “Do they really know what their operating costs are? Do they know how much it costs them to do that or are there ways to trim spending so therefore there's not much fat on it.”
  — Jennifer Friend [03:58]

• Emerging Procedures:
  There is growing excitement around expanding the range of procedures performed in ASCs, particularly in spine, orthopedic, and cardiac areas. This expansion outside of traditional hospital settings is opening new avenues for patient care and surgical efficiency.

• Artificial Intelligence Integration:
  AI is poised to revolutionize administrative and operational aspects of ASCs. From assisting in writing operative reports to managing inventory, AI can help reduce administrative burdens, allowing healthcare providers to focus more on patient care.

  “AI can help do some of that or help keep inventory, going back to cost-saving measures, if AI can help with either of those.”
  — Jennifer Friend [05:35]

Growth Outlook for the Next 12 Months

When discussing the future, Jennifer presents a nuanced perspective on growth prospects:

• Municipal vs. Rural Areas:

  • ASCs in municipal areas, particularly in regions like Tampa Bay, are expected to continue growing due to high demand and widespread availability.
  • Conversely, rural areas face challenges such as Medicaid cuts, which may lead to negative growth and reduced access to care. The resulting gap could force patients to travel longer distances for essential services.

  “Rural areas are going to be hit the hardest... If they lose those, those access points, you're going to be traveling longer and longer distances to get basic care that everyone should have.”
  — Jennifer Friend [05:56]

Adaptation and Strategic Shifts by Providers

As the healthcare environment evolves, providers and surgery centers are adapting their strategies to sustain and enhance their operations:

• Diversifying Revenue Streams:
  Providers are exploring additional sources of revenue beyond traditional health insurance and government programs. This includes accepting workers' compensation and other patient payment models.

• Concierge Practices:
  While concierge models are becoming more prevalent in traditional medical practices, their adoption in ASCs remains limited due to the operational complexities and costs associated with running a fully equipped surgery center.

  “I've gone to complete concierge type practice... I haven't seen that in the ASC setting yet because I think it would be hard to make sure that you have with the cost of running an ASC...”
  — Jennifer Friend [08:42]

Conclusion

The conversation concludes with mutual appreciation, highlighting the depth and relevance of the topics discussed. Jennifer Friend’s insights offer valuable perspectives for ASC owners and healthcare professionals navigating the dynamic landscape of ambulatory surgery centers.

“This has been such a formative conversation and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.”
— Laura Dardo [08:51]

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Key Takeaways:

• Operational Efficiency: ASC owners must prioritize understanding and managing their operating costs to navigate potential reimbursement cuts effectively.

• Technological Integration: Embracing AI and other technologies can streamline administrative tasks, enhance inventory management, and improve patient care.

• Strategic Expansion: Expanding the range of procedures and exploring office-based surgery settings can drive growth and increase the sustainability of ASCs.

• Adaptation to Market Changes: Diversifying revenue streams and considering alternative practice models, such as concierge services, can help ASCs remain resilient amidst industry shifts.

This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, offering actionable insights for healthcare decision-makers.

Transcript

[A]

This is Laura Dardo with the Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Jennifer Friend, chief Executive officer and owner at Friend Surgical Solutions. Jennifer, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[B]

It's great to be here. Thank you for having me.

[A]

Now I'm really excited for our conversation because I know just the ASC space is so fascinating today and really a lot happening in healthcare. It's very dynamic. So I know we've got a couple questions here, but before we dive in, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background?

[B]

As you said, I'm Jennifer Friend. I own and operate Friend Surgical Solutions. Friend Surgical Solutions is a consultant and medical billing group. Although I try to focus more on the consulting side where I help providers with any licensure needs, any concerns, compliance, all of those tedious tasks on the business end of healthcare, so that way they can focus on the operations and keeping things going. Although I do love the operations side too. I find myself most happiest when I'm in a procedure room helping, you know, helping a provider get cases done and get patients the care they need. I have a master's degree from George Washington University. I also have a, my bachelor's degree is in political science, which you wouldn't think ties to health care, but actually knowing how the government works, how the government operates is very helpful in understanding Medicare and Medicare, Medicaid, cms, hhs, you know, all the terms that we've heard being thrown around in the news lately and how it operates and how it ties into our practice in healthcare.

[A]

That's amazing to hear and you know, what a great service to be able to provide surgery centers and those physician owners. Now, what are the top three trends that you're following in healthcare and ASCs today?

[B]

I do see some growth, although, you know, obviously given Medicare and Medicare is expecting to grow because more, as we know, more and more procedures are leaving the traditional hospital space due to the ability to, you know, the acuity of what's going on in the ASU setting. However, you know, with the Medicaid cuts and the other cuts coming, it's making me a little wary of where we're, of where we're going. But I still do see growth in the different procedures that we can provide in an ambulatory surgery setting. I also see more coming into leaving the ambulatory surgery space and coming into an office based surgery setting where you're able to do more monitored anesthesia care, some lighter anesthesia coverage and doing that safely in an office setting as well to help offset the surgery centers that are now taking on more replacements and all of those types of things and the cardiac procedures that they're doing. So that's one I still don't think private equity. I know they've gotten kind of a, somewhat of a bad rap lately or they've been on the sidelines a little bit. I still think there's, there are going to be players or those they want to come back in soon. I also just see people trying to just keep their heads above water right now with some of the changes that are coming. So I think that's hesitation is going to be the other trend that's going to happen, I think soon.

[A]

Absolutely. I think that makes a lot of sense. You know, really dynamic industry, lots of changes. And I appreciate everything we talked about in terms of, you know, how, what procedures coming from the hospital to the asc, from the ASC to the office based setting, looking at private equity and other opportunities for surgery centers to gain additional financial resources and see where they grow. And then as you mentioned, just kind of continuing to watch the field evolve. It's just been fascinating based on a lot of those changes. What are you excited about right now? What do you think is really important for surgery center owners and operators to know and, and think about as they're seeing the field change around them?

[B]

I think a lot of it we all kind of know. But you know, I'm always excited to talk to physician owners and you know, do they really know what their operating costs are? Do they know how much it costs them to do that or are there ways to trim spending so therefore there's not much fat on it? There can be fat on ASC depending on the procedures. But you know, with Medicare potentially cutting some, excuse me, cutting some rates, where can we make sure we're providing the most cost savings to make sure that the ASC is operating efficiently and effectively. But I'm also excited about the different procedures that are coming in. I primarily focus on spine pain and ortho. But with the rise, like I said earlier, of cardiac procedures coming in and being able to do more of those outside of the hospital setting, I'm excited to see where that goes. I'm also taking an interest in AI and how that can help, how that can help surgery centers like, I know surgeons that use AI to help write their OP reports or their patient notes. And yes, of course they review it because they're still responsible for what's in the note. But if it can, if AI can help do some of that or help keep inventory, going back to cost saving measures, if AI can help with either of those. And that allows the doctor to focus more time on the patients and less time on the administrative side. But then it also lets the clinic owners know with AI and inventory better of what their costs are, because that all can be going on in the background. So there's, there's a couple different things that I'm excited about right now.

[A]

Absolutely. I love that and certainly, you know, be fascinating to see again how technology continues to play a role in what surgery centers are able to do and how they're able to continue to operate at a very high level, become more efficient. So before I wrap up here, how are you thinking about growth over the next 12 months or so? What does that look like for you?

[B]

Well, I guess for my ASCs, it's really going to depend on where they're located. You know, I operate mostly in municipal areas and so therefore some of the Medicaid cuts that are coming and Most of my ASCs don't take it, but it's going to trickle down through everything. They don't take Medicaid because they don't have to in the state of Florida to get their licensure. But rural areas are going to be hit the hardest. So that's, I'm concerned about, unfortunately, negative growth in those areas and the widening gap in care because I lived in my undergrad area in a, in a rural area and then I spent several years there afterwards after, after my undergrad. And you know, some people are traveling 20, 30, 40 miles to get care or my family farm, you know, to get a good cardiologist. You're traveling over an hour already. If they lose those, those access points, you're going to be traveling longer and longer distances to get basic care that everyone should have. So I'm a little bullish right now on growth because I think just kind of, kind of need to see what's going to happen. But, but in municipal areas or city areas, because I, I live in the Tampa Bay region, I, you know, I feel like we have ASPs on every, every other corner, similar to Walgreens and Costco's. So they're all around.

[A]

Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. You know, when you see that expansion of additional retail office buildings and kind of the disruption in the healthcare space, you know, how do you see the providers, the medical offices and surgery centers adapting and, you know, shifting their own strategies?

[B]

I think more and more providers are, they're looking at additional sources, you know, of revenue do they get out of, you know, the traditional health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid models? Do they accept push laundry patients? Do they accept work comp? Do they accept other forms of patients in or you know, I know several couple classmates of mine for my master's program, they've gone completely to they'll accept the health insurance as additional payment, but they've gone to complete concierge type practice. I haven't seen that in the ASC setting yet because I think it would be hard to make sure that you have with the cost of running an asc, to make sure that you have everything you need to have an effective full line of products to be able to offer in a surgery setting to go concierge. That may start playing in taking more concierge surgery patients soon too, to help offset some of the lower, you know, the lower reimbursement or the loss in other revenue.

[A]

Got it. That's fascinating to hear. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been such a formative conversation and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

[B]

Sounds good. I look forward to it. Thank you.