Growing ASCs Need Great Teams: 4 Priorities for Every ASC Leader in the Next Era of Outpatient Care

At a Glance

• ASC growth is accelerating as high-acuity, complex procedures shift to outpatient settings
• Workforce readiness—not patient demand—is the primary bottleneck to ASC expansion
• Critical staffing gaps span the entire team, from nurses to techs to schedulers
• ASCs can outcompete hospitals by leveraging predictable schedules and strong culture over pay wars
• Workflow inefficiencies and scheduling disruptions directly impact throughput and revenue
• The future ASC team must be lean, cross-trained, highly skilled, and deeply collaborative
• Sustainable success requires treating the workforce as a strategic growth asset, not a cost center

Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) are at the forefront of one of healthcare’s biggest transformations: the shift to outpatient care. More procedures are moving out of hospitals, patient demand is rising, and innovations in surgical care are making it possible to treat increasingly complex cases in an outpatient setting.

But according to Janet Carlson, President of VertexSurgical Solutions, the greatest challenge facing ASCs is workforce readiness.

During a recent Medix Coffee Chat with Valerie Voll, Vice President of Healthcare at Medix, Carlson shared her perspective on what’s driving ASC growth, the workforce challenges slowing expansion, and why organizations that invest in their team today will be best positioned for tomorrow.

Celebrate the Team Behind Every Procedure

National ASC Month is an opportunity to recognize the innovation and growth happening across ambulatory surgery. But for Carlson, the month represents something even more important: the team behind every successful procedure.

“It’s easy to focus on case volume, reimbursement, and growth,” Carlson shared. “But none of this happens without the nurses, scrub techs, sterile processing techs, radiology  technologists, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, physician assistants, surgeons, schedulers, and leaders who keep everything running.”

While patients typically interact with only a handful of caregivers during their visit, every procedure relies on a coordinated team working behind the scenes to deliver exceptional care safely and efficiently.

“It’s a time to celebrate the model,” Carlson said, “but more importantly, the teams behind the model.”

Why ASC Growth Is Accelerating—and What’s Threatening It

“Patients want the convenience. Physicians want the autonomy. Payers want the lower costs,” Carlson explained. “ASCs deliver on all three.”

Once known primarily for lower-acuity procedures like cataract surgery or colonoscopies, today’s ASCs are increasingly performing total joint replacements, spine procedures, cardiovascular interventions, vascular procedures, interventional radiology, pain management, and other highly specialized surgeries. That evolution presents tremendous opportunity, but it also raises the bar for workforce planning.

Carlson identified five key challenges that are slowing ASC growth today:

• Recruiting Qualified Talent: There is tough competition for a limited pool of experienced clinicians. At the same time, many seasoned professionals accelerated retirement following burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, further tightening an already competitive labor market.

• Retaining Top Performers: ASCs run lean, but have a hard time riding the fine line of efficiency and overextension. However, organizations that foster collaboration, recognize employees, and invest in career development are better positioned to retain their teammates. 

• Optimizing Scheduling: Even small scheduling disruptions can create ripple effects throughout an entire day’s operations. Coordinating surgeons, patients, imaging, and operating room availability requires careful planning, and inefficiencies can quickly impact throughput, patient experience, and revenue.

• Supporting Higher-Acuity Care: As more complex procedures migrate to outpatient settings, team expectations continue to evolve. Higher-acuity procedures require additional imaging, specialized clinical expertise, and teams prepared to deliver increasingly sophisticated surgical care.

• Preparing for Future Workforce Demand: Demand for ASC services will continue to outpace the available healthcare workforce. Organizations that proactively develop, cross-train, and invest in their teams will be better positioned to support continued growth.

Great Teams Drive Great Outcomes

When discussing ASC staffing, it’s easy to focus solely on nursing shortages. Carlson believes that’s far too narrow.

Every successful procedure depends on a fully coordinated clinical and operational team.

Among today’s most difficult positions to recruit are:

• Pre-op and PACU Nurses
• Certified Surgical Technologists
• Radology Technologists
• Schedulers

These are essential roles that directly impact patient safety, physician satisfaction, operational efficiency, and procedural throughput. As you can imagine, any gap is deeply felt. 

For example, radiology technologists play a critical role in orthopedic and spine procedures by operating imaging equipment throughout surgery. Without them, circulating nurses or surgeons may be forced to assume additional responsibilities, creating operational drag and slowing procedures.

Likewise, experienced circulating nurses, scrub techs, and schedulers all have a direct impact on operating room efficiency and revenue generation.

Competing Beyond Compensation

While hospitals may offer larger sign-on bonuses or higher salaries, Carlson believes ASCs have unique advantages that resonate with many healthcare professionals. 

Rather than competing solely on pay, successful ASCs emphasize:

• A collaborative, team-first culture
• Work/life balance through predictable schedules with no nights, weekends, or holidays
• Flexibility through staggered shifts
• Career development and continuing education opportunities

These create workplaces where people want to stay, not just places they’re willing to work.

Building the ASC Team of the Future

Organizations that invest in workflow redesign, workforce development, operational modernization, and data-driven decision-making will be best positioned to capture the next wave of outpatient growth. The ASC team itself needs to continue evolving as well.

“The ASC team of the future will be lean, highly skilled, cross-trained, and deeply collaborative,” Carlson said.

Cross-training, adaptability, and a willingness to support teammates across functions will become just as valuable as technical expertise.

As Carlson put it:

“Hence the word team, not staff.”

The Bottom Line

For healthcare leaders planning the future of their ASC, Carlson offered one final piece of advice that perfectly summarizes today’s workforce landscape:

“Treat your team and workforce like the strategic asset that it is. It is not a cost center.”

The organizations that will thrive over the next decade won’t simply be those adding operating rooms or expanding service lines. They’ll be the ones investing in the people who make that growth possible.

Because in today’s ASC environment, building the right team doesn’t just support growth—it creates it.

As Carlson concluded:

“Invest in your people. The growth will follow.”