What are the benefits of bringing in a partner like Atlas to develop and manage and ASC network?
Atlas President and CEO Aric Burke sat down with Hospitalogy’s Blake Madden and other community members to discuss the ambulatory care landscape and how Atlas’ unique ownership structure leads to better outcomes.
Below are some key summary points from the Fireside Chat:
About Atlas
Atlas Healthcare Partners is a ambulatory surgery center management company that partners exclusively with nonprofit health systems and physicians to develop ASC networks through a joint venture partnership model. When we started our company, we looked to avoid the fate of many other ASC management companies that are sold off to competitors. To do this, an alternative ownership structure was created to avoid private equity and give health systems significantly more ownership in their ASC networks and an opportunity to invest in Atlas itself.
Atlas’ unique model
This unique joint-ownership model allows health systems to invest in ASCs directly, benefiting from the centers’ revenue while enhancing physician alignment and system-wide integration. Founded in collaboration with Banner Health, Atlas was formed to meet Banner’s ASC needs, evolving quickly into a model that has since attracted partnerships with multiple health systems across the U.S., including Corewell Health, MultiCare, and ChristianaCare.
Delivering better outcomes
ASCs, when properly integrated into a healthcare network, address the quadruple aim of healthcare: improving care quality, enhancing patient experience, increasing physician satisfaction, and reducing costs. ASCs enable patients to access quality care in convenient, community-based settings, often at a lower cost than traditional hospitals. In 2018, Banner had eight ASCs operating at a loss. Through our joint venture model and strategic planning, Banner expanded to 32 ASCs by 2023, with centers seeing a 400% increase in annual cases and significantly improving ASC revenue, projected to reach around $275 million from $20 million.
Challenges facing ASCs
Plenty of challenges face ASCs, one of the most notable is workforce shortages. Aric emphasizes that by forming partnerships with health systems rather than operating as a vendor, Atlas integrates deeply into the system’s network, building sustainable models that address local needs of the centers and address issues like the current anesthesiologist shortage.
Scaling for the future
Technology and innovation play a huge role in how we are scaling our infrastructure. We’ve centralized a lot of business processes like revenue cycle, accounts payable, and medical staff services, to allow ASCs to focus on providing excellent service to physicians and patients. Most importantly, we know there’s still a ton of opportunity to grow and become more efficient in these spaces and others in the future as we widen our national footprint.
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