ASC Market Intelligence
August 18 - August 25, 2026
9 signals this week · 3 sell-in targets
The Bottom Line
Surgery Partners is walking away from its $200M annual M&A target to build: six de novo ASCs in construction, seven pipelined, mostly MSK. PitchBook's new data shows ASCs are the most resilient segment of a cooling deal market.
🎯 Top Sales Targets This Week
1
Surgery Partners: announced a de novo pivot on its Q2 call: 13 MSK-heavy centers in construction or pipeline.
2
Integrated Surgical Center of Arizona: newly partnered with Regent Surgical to expand outpatient cardiovascular and specialty care across the Phoenix market.
3
Surgery Center Services of America: its Peoria, Ariz. pain management ASC cleared Medicare certification Aug. 19, the last gate before opening.
Early Signal
High-Signal
Confirmed
💰 ASC Acquisitions
FTC finalizes Ascension-AMSURG consent order ● Context
Final order approved Aug. 25: seven ASCs divested, and Ascension must notify the FTC before buying ASCs in the affected markets.
Confirmed Original source: beckershospitalreview.com
🤝 ASC Joint Ventures
Regent Surgical partners with Arizona multispecialty ASC ▲ Opportunity
Regent (25-plus facilities) partnered with the physician-led Avondale center to grow outpatient cardiovascular and specialty surgery across Phoenix.
Confirmed Original source: beckersasc.com
Orlando Orthopaedic Center joins OSM, its 23rd partnership ▲ Opportunity
The Tampa-based MSO added Orlando Orthopaedic Center and its affiliated surgery center Aug. 18.
Confirmed Original source: beckersspine.com
🏗️ De Novo Announcements
Surgery Partners drops M&A target for de novo growth ▲ Opportunity
The company will miss its $200M annual M&A target and build instead: six ASCs under construction and seven pipelined, highly MSK.
Confirmed Original source: beckersasc.com
SCSA Peoria pain ASC earns Medicare certification ▲ Opportunity
The 1-OR pain management center passed Joint Commission Medicare certification Aug. 19, the last gate before opening.
Confirmed Original LinkedIn post by Philip Blair
Kaiser advances Redlands MOB and ASC plans ● Context
Redlands, Calif. planners reviewed site plans Aug. 25 for a 113,000-sq-ft MOB and ASC, phase one of a campus that includes a future hospital.
Confirmed Original source: beckersasc.com
New-ASC tracker holds at 53 for 2026 ● Context
Becker's state-by-state count of new ASCs reads 53 YTD, unchanged from last week; leaders remain NY 7, FL 5, CA 4, MI 3.
Confirmed Original source: beckersasc.com
📌 Other Notable
Rochester ASC converts to hospital outpatient department ▼ Watch
Rochester (N.Y.) Surgery Center became an HOPD of Rochester General Hospital effective Aug. 1.
High-Signal Original source: beckersasc.com
AAAHC v45 standards add first AI requirements ● Context
AAAHC released v45 of its standards with first-ever AI requirements, effective Dec. 15, per John Goehle's ASC Podcast.
High-Signal Original LinkedIn post by John Goehle
📈 Heating Up
Surgery Center Services of America 2 verified signals / 4 weeks
Latest stage: Certification · Peoria, Ariz. cleared Medicare certification Aug. 19, weeks after Miami's AAAHC pass.
Surgery Partners 2 verified signals / 4 weeks
Latest stage: Construction · Six de novos in construction and seven pipelined after trading its M&A target for new builds.
📰 Other Industry News
Why ASC deals are outperforming healthcare M&A Research
PitchBook's Q2 report has healthcare deal count down 18.5% while the ASC-containing segment tracks just 4.9% below 2025, the most resilient category measured.
Original source: beckersasc.com
The Trend
Growth is shifting from buying to building: Surgery Partners' pivot, Kaiser's Redlands campus, SCSA's certification cadence and Regent's cardiovascular partnership all put new capacity at the center of expansion. The FTC's final AMSURG order adds acquisition friction that reinforces the same direction.
👁️ LinkedIn Watchlist
Andrew Hayek · Co-founder, Triple Aim Partners (former CEO/Chair, SCA Health)
Eric Evans · CEO, Surgery Partners
Philip Blair · CEO, Surgery Center Services of America
Jonathan Murphy · VP, Surgery Center Services of America
Jordan Hornung · Managing Director, Quality ASC Consulting
Dawn Pfeiffer, RN · Founder and President, Triangles Healthcare Consulting
Alex Yampolsky · Ambulatory Pharmacist Partners (ASC pharmacy programs); former CEO, MedServe
Scott Bergman · President, Peak Health Associates (ASC business development, operations, M&A)
Stephen Earnhart · CEO and Founder, Earnhart & Associates
Matt Obenhaus · SVP, Design and Engineering, NueHealth
Janet Carlson · Founder and CEO, Vertex Surgical Solutions
Ali Ghalayini, MBA · ASC Operator, spine, ortho and pain (de novo and turnaround)
Jeff Lawrence · Healthcare Sales Leader, Envi (IOS)
Lisa Grasso, RN · ASC Consultant and Administrator, de novo ASC development
Emily Spooner · ASC Administrator, OrthoAtlanta Fayetteville
Jessica Macias · Strategic Growth Advisor, Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Deb Yoder, RN · Aligned Surgery and Healthcare Consulting (ASC development, 30-plus centers)
Kelly Frankenfield · Regulatory Specialist, Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies (ASC compliance and survey readiness)
John Goehle · COO, Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies; host, The ASC Podcast
Scott Fraser · Advisor and board member; former ASC and MedTech executive
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Coverage this week: all 3 Becker's feeds, ASC News, 4 alert queries, the new-ASC tracker, all 20 watchlist profiles and the ASC owners Facebook group were scanned; Becker's Hospital Review's posting volume exceeded the page cap, so Aug 18-23 on that one feed was screened by keyword rather than fully paginated.
ASC Market Intelligence · generated for HST Pathways · August 18 - August 25, 2026