As National ASC Month Ends, ASCend Specialists Highlights the Vital Role of Rural Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Gillette, WY - Aug. 29, 2025 - As National Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Month comes to a close, ASCend Specialists proudly celebrates the essential role ASCs play in strengthening healthcare access across rural America. These facilities deliver safe, affordable, and value-based surgical care - helping patients stay close to home while saving billions in healthcare costs.

Meeting Rural America’s Healthcare Needs

For many rural families, healthcare options are sparse and far from home. Local ambulatory surgery centers provide a lifeline, allowing patients to receive surgery and return home the same day. This reduces travel burdens, eliminates unnecessary and increasingly expensive hospital stays, and ensures that quality care is available in the communities where patients live and work.

“Rural America depends on ASCs,” said ASCend Specialists CEO, Linda Bedwell. “ASCs are delivering care that is safe, efficient, and cost-effective - all while keeping patients close to home and easing the strain on the already resource-limited rural hospitals.”

Proven Value for Patients and Taxpayers

ASCs are not just convenient - they save patients and taxpayers money.

• Nationally, ASCs save Medicare over $4 billion annually compared to if those same procedures were performed in the hospital setting.¹

• For patients, the difference is clear: the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found, for example, that the average costs for fracture procedures in an ASC is $3,886 versus nearly $6,000 for the same care in the hospital setting.²

• For rural communities, ASCs mean economic growth: for communities with new facilities, ASC volume growth exceeds the decline in local hospital outpatient surgery use.³ In other words, more patients have surgery close to home, and more dollars stay in the local economy when an ASC is available.

  
  

High-Quality Care with Excellent Outcomes

ASCs are held to strict state and federal standards to ensure safety and quality. A growing body of research shows ASC patients are less likely to be admitted to a hospital for postsurgical complications compared to their hospital counterparts.

With America’s aging population - projected to reach nearly one in four in the coming decades - demand for surgical care is rising rapidly. ASCs are uniquely positioned to meet this demand while keeping costs sustainable for patients, insurers, and taxpayers.

Looking Ahead

As National ASC Month comes to a close, one thing is clear: ASCs are the future of accessible, affordable, and high-quality surgical care.  In rural America, ASCs are redefining what it means to receive world-class healthcare close to home. By continuing to support and expand ASC access, communities can ensure better outcomes for patients, lower costs for families, and a stronger, more sustainable healthcare system for everyone.

References:

¹Medicare Cost Savings: An Overview - Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA)

²Ambulatory Surgery Centers Are More Cost-Effective than Hospitals for Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgeries

³Ambulatory Surgery Centers and Their Intended Effects on Outpatient Surgery - PMC

About ASCend Specialists: Founded in Gillette, Wyoming, by rural healthcare leaders, ASCend Specialists provides robust management and consulting services, leading the way in rural ASC development. ASCend enables rural ambulatory ASCs to deliver exceptional and sustainable care while maintaining their independence. ASCend envisions an ASC-lead future where rural surgical care is sustainable, innovative, and accessible. ASCend provides the economies of scale, diverse network, and management expertise necessary to help rural ASCs ascend and thrive.