ASCs forecasted to continue seeing major expansion in orthopedic, spine procedures

Editor's Note

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) specializing in orthopedic and spine procedures are seeing a surge in growth, Orthopedics This Week April 2 reports. An "Impact of Change Forecast" report from Sg2, a Vizient Inc company, forecasts a 12% increase in orthopedics/spine ASCs in the next 5 years and a 22% rise over the next decade.

This growth is driven by factors such as clinical appropriateness, payer reimbursement, and physician incentives to operate in ASCs, noted the article. Services like orthopedics have been shifting from hospitals to ASCs, in part because of state and local regulations, physician market alignment, payer pressure for cost-effective care sites, market size and growth, and competitive dynamics.

The Impact of Change Forecast report also shows an 18% growth in outpatient surgical volume by 2033, driven by procedures such as total joint replacements, lumbar/thoracic spinal fusions, and others. For orthopedics and spine service lines, an outpatient service line growth of 10% and 11%, respectively, is predicted from 2023 to 2033. This trend was also noted in a 2021 report from Vizient's Tech Watch, which expects spinal procedures to increasingly transition to outpatient settings.

Recent acquisitions and expansions in the ASC market, like TriasMD’s acquisition of Thousand Oaks Surgery Center in California, are examples of the growing focus on spine and orthopedic services in the ASC space. This particular facility, now part of TriasMD, offers a broad range of surgical care, including spine, orthopedics, and pain management. The partnership aims to boost services and expand patient access, with plans to recruit more specialists and invest in new instruments and equipment to accommodate more complex procedures in that outpatient setting.