A single-tenant medical office building in Montrose, Colo., has sold for $2.5 million, according to a July 15 report from REBusiness Online.

After UnitedHealth Group, parent company of Optum, reached 90,000 affiliated physicians at the end of 2023, it became the largest employer of physicians in the U.S. — sparking industrywide discussions of the risks of consolidation and monopolies. While the company has acquired physician practices and ASCs this year, it has also ended service lines and offloaded centers.

Facing increasing obstacles to access economies of scale, including rising practice costs and decreasing reimbursement, physician groups are increasingly consolidating. 

The ASC market in the U.S. is projected to reach $60.8 billion by 2030, up from the most recent valuation of $40.4 billion from 2023.

St. Louis-based Ascension saw a $3 billion operating loss in fiscal year 2023, and its sustainability strategy includes selling off major hospitals in their system.  

A 58,000-square-foot medical office building in San Antonio has sold, according to a July 10 report from Commercial Property Executive.

A 37,000-square-foot medical office building in Chula Vista, Calif., was sold for $11.6 million, according to a July 10 report from Commercial Property Executive.

A four-story medical office building has sold in East Sacramento, Calif., doubling in price in just 13 years, according to a July 8 report from the Sacramento Business Journal.

A Florida-based real estate investment firm has purchased six medical office buildings in Greensboro, N.C., for $73 million, according to a July 2 report from the Triad Business Journal.

The outpatient care industry has been active in 2024 with practice closures, clinics changing hands and the development of new centers. 

Nearly 2,000 ASCs are now partnered with a national operator — indicative of a shifting ownership landscape in the outpatient space.

While independent ASCs have a steady hold on the market, with 68.1% of centers being freestanding, big chains continue to grow their market share as healthcare continues to consolidate. 

As of June 28, all 51 Walmart health centers have closed. 

A medical office building in Livingston, N.J., has sold for $13.5 million, according to a July 1 report from roi-nj.com.

Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, has called off its plan to acquire financially troubled Steward Health Care's 1,700-physician group, The Boston Globe reported June 27.

Stamford (Conn.) Hospital's corporate parent, Stamford Health, has signed a lease for a 65,667-square-foot medical office building, according to a June 26 report from the Stamford Advocate.

Florida-based neurologist Kester Nedd, MD, has acquired a Miami Lakes-based medical office building for $15 million, according to a June 7 report from the South Florida Business Journal.

Here are five deals shaping the ASC industry that Becker's has reported on in 2024: 

A medical office building in Wellesley, Mass., has sold for $24.3 million, according to a June 21 report from ConnectCRE.

Tenet Healthcare's United Surgical Partners International is the largest ASC chain in the country both by centers and number of physicians.