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forward slash beckerspodcast.
Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast
recorded live at the thirty first annual business
and operations of ASCs.
I'm joined today by doctor Ramesh Gaith, chief
medical officer at DX TX Pain and Spine.
Doctor Gaih, to kick us off, can you
please share a little bit about yourself and
the work and and your work in the
ASC space? Hi. Thank you for having me.
Well, as chief medical officer of DX TX,
my role centers on optimizing how physicians and
advanced practice providers deliver complex
interventional procedures in the ambulatory surgery center environment.
My clinical background is in interventional pain and
spine,
and I spent much of my career helping
to design and expand ASCs that could provide
highly specialized,
cost effective, and patient centered care
outside of the hospital setting. At DXTX, I
focus on ensuring that clinical quality and operational
efficiency and patient alignment move in lockstep while
also mentoring medical directors and provider teams across
the network.
This still perspective, both as a practicing physician
and a system level leader, gives me a
clear view into what drives ASC success today
and what will define it in the future.
So the ASC market in The US is
projected to reach $60,800,000,000
by 2030
and continues to experience strong year over year
growth. From your perspective, what are the most
significant trends in market forces driving this expansion,
and how should ASC leaders be preparing today?
That's a great question.
You know, there are several factors that are
converging to drive ASC growth.
First and foremost,
payers and policymakers continue to migrate higher acuity
cases
to the outpatient settings due to safety data,
the lower cost that we experience in the
ASC setting, and the patient preferences.
Secondly, the patients themselves are more informed consumers.
They want the convenience.
They want the accessibility,
and they want the value, which the ASCs
can provide.
And thirdly, the physicians are increasingly seeking ownership
and leadership opportunities outside of the hospital systems,
and ASCs
give them both that clinical autonomy, but also
the financial alignment.
So from AI and robotic surgeries to advanced
EHR systems, technology remains both a make or
break factor and a critical driver of ASC
operations at scale.
How do you see deeper tech integration shaping
the way ASCs deliver care and manage their
business over the next few years?
Well, that's a very interesting question because technology
is no longer a nice to have in
ASCs, quote, unquote, but it's really a core
differentiator.
I see three main areas where technology integration
will reshape our field.
Clinical precision, being robotics and navigation tools, being
absolutely essential in AOR,
operational
optimization,
utilizing advanced EHRs and AI powered analytics
to streamline your scheduling to staffing,
the inventory, etcetera, that we all rely on
in ASC, and also and most importantly,
patient engagement,
Digital informed consent. Digitizing the informed consent process
like we did over a year ago with
mobile follow-up and remote monitoring
will extend the ASC experience beyond four walls,
improving outcomes, but also patient satisfaction.
So, doctor Gaeth, I'm very curious. Is there
one particular
technology or innovation that stands out to you
as especially transformative?
Yes. I do see this
AI
data analytic world,
coming upon us here. And by combining the
clinical outcomes, the data
with financial and operational metrics, the AECs could
predict case profitability,
optimize scheduling down to the block level, and
benchmark outcomes across networks.
That's gonna be a game changer for both
quality and for sustainability in the future.
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 other providers or vendors,
full of really great questions today because
collaboration is really no longer an option. It's
essential.
The joint ventures with health systems can bring
scale, patient pipelines, and payer leverage, while while
independent ASC operators can contribute to the speed,
the innovation, and the patient alignment, or rather
the physician alignment.
Beyond health system partnerships, I see tremendous opportunities
with vendors and technology partners who can help
standardize supply chains, integrate data systems, and bring
new clinical capabilities to the outpatient settings.
Well, doctor Guy, before I let you go,
is there anything else we didn't touch on
or any final thoughts you'd like to share?
Yeah. You know, I I think that
going forward in the future, ACs are not
just about shifting the site of service
as as a lot of folks like to
look at it. They really represent a paradigm
shift in how we think about value in
health care.
The leaders who thrive will be those who
balance clinical excellence with operational discipline,
embrace innovation without losing sight of compliance,
and foster cultures where physicians,
APPs,
nurses, and staff all feel invested in the
mission.
At DXTX Pain is buying, we believe ASCs
are the future of specialty care, and our
job as leaders is to ensure that that
future is defined by quality,
access, and patient trust.
Well, doctor Guy, thank you again for joining
us today on the Becker's HealthCare podcast, and
have a great rest of your day. Thank
you.