ASCs are in a great position to capitalize on the trend to value-based care. Surgery centers are the high-quality, low-cost setting for care and could save Medicare, insurers and patients billions of dollars every year by migrating outpatient surgeries to the low-acuity setting. But there is one thing holding them back.

Employers are setting aside an average of 3.9 percent of payroll this year for wage increases, but that's not enough with inflation hitting a 40-year high in February, and employees are asking for more pay, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Here are 10 ASC administrators to know:

For Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates, tackling staffing and consolidation challenges requires a focus on sustainability.  

The average net working capital of ASCs is $1.3 million per year, a benchmark of a surgery center's financial health, according to the VMG Health's "Intellimarker 2022" report.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare's ambulatory surgery division named Ryan Miller assistant vice president of administrative services in the continental division, the company said April 4. 

Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International, the country's largest ASC management company, is hiring at least 33 administrators nationally.

Compass Surgical Partners has named Robert Carrera as chief operating officer, the Raleigh, N.C.-based ASC management company said April 4. 

The average annual salary for registered nurses in the U.S. is $82,750, but the average pay for nurses in several states falls below the mean, according to a March 31 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The average annual salary for registered nurses in the U.S. is $82,750, and RNs in California claim the highest pay on average, according to a March 31 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The unemployment rate dropped from 3.8 percent to 3.6 percent in March, nearing an all-time low, according to a Wall Street Journal article written by Justin Lahart, a financial reporter.

Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International is hiring at least 33 administrators nationally.

Opening a new ASC can be daunting. Surgeons are experts at providing outstanding medical care, but many are less familiar with the numerous components that contribute to a positive, patient-centered experience.

Independent, physician-owned ASCs seem to get bought out more and more often by private equity, health systems and big ASC chains.

It's hard to predict how to best respond to a crisis.

The South consistently enjoys some of the best statistics for healthcare facilities and physician pay, but some of the conditions that may have contributed are no longer present.

Most ASCs have an annual operating budget of $3 million or more, according to a surgery in OR Manager.

There is a renewed push for value-based care as the number of COVID-19 cases ticks down nationally and federal funding to support healthcare organizations wanes.

Robert Finch, MD, a physician who helped found Springfield (Ill.) Clinic's ASC, died from complications related to frontotemporal degeneration March 12 in Austin, Texas, according to an obituary published in The State Journal-Register. 

Several states are taking action to combat inflation and rising gas prices in particular, according to The New York Times.