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This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, and we are recording live at the thirty first annual business and operations of ASCs. I'm currently joined by Ala Abda Asayed, who is the medical director at U Wisconsin. So thank you so much for joining me today. Let's have you start off by sharing a little bit more about yourself and your work in the ASC space.

Speaker 1: Oh, thank you for having me. I'm a pain physician and an anesthesiologist at University of Wisconsin, where I work in the inpatient sitting and an ambulatory sitting, clinic, two surgical centers, and the care for patients both on the hospital grounds and ambulatory, surgical centers and also at clinic setting.

Speaker 0: Wonderful. And let's start by talking about the ASC market. Because in The US, it's projected to reach $60,800,000,000 by 2030, and it continues to experience strong year over year growth. So So from your perspective, what are the most significant trends in market forces driving this expansion, and how should ASC leaders be preparing today?

Speaker 1: It's a very good question. And I think the expansion in ASCs, as you mentioned, is inevitable. It's happening, and it's happening fast. And there are many reasons because it's, it's owned by, smaller groups, typically, so they have more control, more autonomy, can control the finances, which, always you wanna think of the ins and outs, which is different than being in gigantic health care system, which you probably have less control over those, finances. So I think it's a growing model.

I think it's a good model. And I think when you develop those models, you always look for efficiencies, which are good for patients as well. Like, again, quick surgeries in and out, you try not to keep them in the hospital, which is good not only financially, but also for the health and wellness of patient just to be home on the same day.

Speaker 0: And from AI and robotic surgeries to advanced EHR systems, technology remains both a major break factor and a critical driver of ASC operations at scale. So how do you see Zebra Tech integration shaping the way ASCs deliver care and manage their business over the

Speaker 1: next few years? That's a very good question. And as we speak here, in the conference about, the different AI platforms, AI will make things very smooth, very quick, will, help the shortage of staff that we are encountering nowadays at all, grounds in the operating room and outside the operating room, which will allow for more efficiencies and not counting on the, I would say, filling the gaps in in a staff shortage. So this integration is very helpful, and I think will lead to more efficient health care system and ASC operations.

Speaker 0: And follow-up to that. Is there any specific technology or innovation that stands out to you as especially transformative in the space?

Speaker 1: I would say it's hard to pick up only one, but, the main one that we're all excited about is use AI, for example, for appeals because that's a very tedious process, very lengthy, and require a lot of labor work. So AI in in appeals has been very successful in reversing a lot of those appeals, which again leads to our patient be able to get the care they, deserve, but using it in scribing, use it in encoding. I think these are very good steps that not only will make it efficient, but will make it maybe more accurate, and then will reduce the back and forth with insurance and, will reduce errors in coding, and can provide the more of a safety quality check for everybody using those technologies.

Speaker 0: And with 60% of health systems considering ASC joint ventures and many ASCs already partnering with systems in their communities, what opportunities do you see for collaboration whether with providers or vendors to strengthen patient care and operational efficiency?

Speaker 1: ASCs became, more of, like, a big ship that require multiple, like, parties to be involved. So those collaborations are very good because, you know, the joint ventures allow for a stronger foundation because everybody will have skin in the game. Everybody will work on success, of the ASC rather than just being owned by individual or a small group. So those, I would say, venture, joints, will lead to just better patient care, more patient volumes, stronger financial. And I'll keep talking about the financial strengths because it's very important to maintain any enterprise.

So I think this is gonna just make it a lot stronger and will attract more patient to this model.

Speaker 0: Well, thanks so much for joining me today on the Becker's Healthcare Podcast a lot. Is there anything else we didn't touch on or any final thoughts you'd like to share?

Speaker 1: No. Thank you. And, I appreciate the opportunity always to be here because, I always enjoy talking about AI, which is a future of health care. And, seeing always, the this progression in the conference and the focus in AI is very intriguing. So thank you.

Speaker 0: Wonderful. Well, again, we are recording live at the thirty first annual business and operations of ASCs.

Speaker 1: Thank you.