The 2026 OR Business Management Summit, a spirited gathering of perioperative business leaders across the full spectrum of surgical facilities, concluded yesterday in Austin, Texas, and the ASC leadership community’s strong presence at the event was evident and vital.
A robust track of ASC-specific programming featured ASC leaders presenting, coaching fellow community members and moderating spirited peer-to-peer discussions on a variety of relevant topics.
John Goehle, chief operating officer of Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies and host of The ASC Podcast with John Goehle, led a comprehensive three-hour Financial Mastery for ASC Administrators preconference workshop.
Emily Spooner, president and owner, ASC development with Marisa Consulting, presented on how AI-powered insights can boost efficiency and margins in the ASC setting.
Nyleen Flores, FMSP, CPMSM, CPCS, CPES, CPCO, CASC, chief administrative officer of Lake Oconee Orthopedics and co-host of the Credentialing Chronicles podcast, delivered an eye-opening and at times harrowing overview of the costly risks ASCs take when failing to properly address surgeon credentialing and peer review.
Janet Carlson, MSN, BSN, RN, NE-BC, FACHE, co-founder and CEO of Vertex Surgical Solutions, and Wade Byerly, Founder and CEO of Medical Equipment Resources & Consulting, co-coached a bootcamp on a pressing issue for many ASCs: capital planning, particularly how to improve asset tracking and, with it, financial outcomes. Ms. Carlson also joined orthopedic surgeon Earl Kilbride, MD, MHA, of Austin Orthopedic Institute, for a discussion to provide real-world perspectives on what can be a profitable service line addition at ASCs: peripheral nerve stimulation.
Geri Eaves, BSN, RN, CASC, CNOR, CEO and administrator of The Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee Surgery Center, led an interactive peer-to-peer roundtable discussion on the unique characteristics of various service lines at ASC specialty centers, while Kyle Anderson, PT, OCS, MBA, vice president of finance and ASC with Ortho Rhode Island, led another peer-to-peer roundtable discussion on the existential issue of contract negotiations with vendors and payors.
ASC joint ventures, which continue to transform the business of outpatient surgery, were a prominent topic at the event. Longtime ASC thought leader and consultant Joan Dentler, MBA, founder of Avanza Healthcare Strategies, coached a bootcamp focused on the challenges of joint ventures among ASCs, hospitals and private equity, while Danilo D'Aprile, CASC, vice president of business development with ASC management and development firm Merritt Healthcare, took a deep dive into the issues of control, profitability, and partnership dynamics in ASC joint ventures. Mr. D’Aprile also sat for a discussion with the entire OR Business Management Summit community about the persistent challenge of, and potential solutions to, anesthesia subsidies and staffing at ASCs and hospitals alike.
General sessions that addressed the entire OR Business Management Summit community focused strongly on the business of ASCs. Dana Jacoby, president and CEO of strategic healthcare advisory firm Vector Medical Group, delivered a powerful address on private equity, strategic partnerships and the new economics of surgery, while Randy Heiser, MA, BA, president of Sullivan Healthcare Consulting, led a highly interactive closing keynote session on the perioperative impacts of recent legislative changes coming out of Washington.
These speakers, coaches and conversational facilitators, as well as the many other ASC leaders who assembled in Austin, expressed great interest in joining us to build a robust, relevant educational and networking experience for the ASC leadership community at the inaugural Periop Leader Week conference, which will take place in Savannah, Ga., this Oct. 4 to 7, 2026. You can register and book your hotel room now via the Periop Leader Week website, and stay tuned to ASC Leader, Periop Leader Network and Periop Leader Week for more information about the event over the coming weeks and months, as the programming comes together for what should be a fun and enriching time in a beautiful setting for ASC clinical, business and operations leaders to gather, learn, connect and grow their facilities, careers and networks.
