The U.S. consistently ranks below other wealthy nations in measurements of lifestyle healthiness and preventive care. Ernest Ribera, MD, a gastroenterologist and medical director of the Burlingame, Calif.-based Mid Peninsula Endoscopy Center, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that he's seeing the effects of the trend firsthand.

Jeff Snodgrass has served as the president of Nashville, Tenn.-based AmSurg, Envision's ASC division, since 2020. 

Michael Dodd, administrator of Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based First Choice Surgery Center, didn't take the most straightforward path to his current position, he said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast." But rather than being a hindrance, it made him a better leader.

Necessity is the mother of invention, as the adage goes. Bill Berryhill, MD, managing partner of Waco-based Heart of Texas Cath Lab and Surgery Center, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that some of the biggest boons to ASCs and catheterization labs have come out of necessity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With emerging technologies and a devastating pandemic changing the face of healthcare, Daniel Weber, director of ambulatory care at Pendleton, Ore.-based Adaugeo Healthcare Solutions, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that he's especially interested in the evolution of information technology.

Brett Brodnax is the president and CEO of United Surgical Partners International, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

ASC executives are looking ahead for 2022 budgeting, but uncertainty related to COVID-19 will continue to throw a wrench in short-term strategic plans.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ramped up stress levels for healthcare professionals, causing some to reevaluate their work-life balance. Others have left the field altogether, creating a need for new clinicians. Christine Blackburn, BSN, an administrator at the South Kansas City SurgiCenter in Overland Park, said on "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" that she has to change things up when recruiting younger surgeons to her ASC.

If the past decade is any indication, the field of orthopedic surgery could look dramatically different in 2031 than it does today. According to these seven orthopedic surgeons, some of the most likely changes include shifting roles for clinicians.

It can be a challenge to develop a strong ASC budget, especially amid uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tenet Healthcare, the parent company of United Surgical Partners International, has named a new CEO. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the U.S. healthcare system close to its limits, putting a strain on healthcare workers at all levels. Karen Albright, RN, nurse administrator at Annapolis, Md.-based Riva Road Surgery Center, said it's become increasingly difficult to find the staff that her ASC needs.

In recent years, the greater-than-ever ease of access to information and disinformation has had an increasing impact. Charles Fox, MD, chief of gastroenterology at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta, said he and his staff encounter it regularly.

Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International is hiring at least 16 administrators nationally. 

Here's who leads the five largest health insurers by membership, according to a May 2021 ValuePenguin report.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruptions it brought to work-life balance, Tina Piotrowski, CEO of Copper Ridge Surgery Center in Michigan, said ASCs are particularly vulnerable to loss of staff.

Nearly all ASCs offer employees health insurance benefits, but many in the past year have made changes to control costs.

Surgical Care Affiliates recently promoted Abbey Watkins to vice president of clinical quality for its Southeast operating division.

Here are more than 100 administrators to know. 

ASCs can benefit from the new "shopping" era of healthcare, according to Andre Blom, CEO of Des Plaines-based Illinois Bone & Joint Institute.