The biggest financial threats to ASCs in 2026

Editor's Note

Several ASC leaders recently shared the financial threats they are most concerned about in 2026, including staffing costs and the changing payer landscape, in a December 5 news story in Becker's ASC Review. For example, staffing costs are a top concern for an ASC administrator at a surgery center in Wesley Chapel, Florida. For an administrator at an orthopedic outpatient system in Greenville, South Carolina, the shifting payer landscape is a top concern amid rising operational costs and a dynamic regulatory and policy climate.

A surgery center administrator in Greensburg, Pennsylvania said ASCs face challenges in balancing quality patient care revenue with actual expenses. For example, rising expenses are being seen with quality anesthesia services, costs of supplies and drugs, and the need to increase staff salaries with less or stagnant reimbursement from payers.

This administrator suggested ASC models need to move toward addressing structure, patient expectations, and value. For facilities that haven’t yet targeted such model changes, they may be relying on providing financial subsidies, stipends, bonuses and increased contractual payments to ensure patient care services are available, however, this will be difficult to sustain, per the article.

Another ASC administrator quoted discussed the continued rise in costs for supplies, devices, and implants, including shipping costs. Financial strain for patients is also a relevant concern because more patients are postponing surgery to cover the costs of basic needs.