ASCs in many markets are being affected by hospitals and health systems continuing to close campuses and shutter services as costs soar.
"While some patient volumes are shifting to ASCs, the practice owners need to be able to handle this increase in volume and the case complexities, as well as the rising staffing costs," Ali Ekbatani, DO, executive vice president and American Group president at North American Partners in Anesthesia, told Becker's. "ASCs, despite the potential surge of new patients, will be in a good position to serve these patients. They will need to build upon operational efficiencies to maintain a high level of patient experience for these new incoming patients."
Here are five updates on hospital closures Becker's has reported on since April 1:
1. All assets from shuttered St. Margaret's Health-Spring Valley (Ill.) will be auctioned by Centurion Service Group, a medical equipment life-cycle company, April 24 and 25. SMH Spring Valley and SMH Peru (Ill.) closed in June after they ran out of resources to continue operations.
2. Family Hospital at Papillion (Neb.) closed following the closure of its sister hospital, Family Hospital at Millard in Omaha, at the end of January. The closures of the hospitals, which were part of Texas-based Family Hospital Systems, resulted in 72 layoffs.
3. Lockport, N.Y.-based Eastern Niagara Hospital will go up for auction after it closed in June. The hospital is being featured in an April 18-25 online auction hosted by Tranzon, a real estate auction franchise.
4. Stoughton, Mass.-based New England Sinai Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital owned by financially distressed Steward Health Care, which is based in Dallas, closed.
5. Regional Medical Center Health System plans to end inpatient services at Stringfellow Memorial Hospital in Anniston, Ala., and transition the emergency department to its main hospital campus.