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forward slash beckerspodcast.

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This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare

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Podcast, and we are recording live at the

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thirty first annual business and operations of ASCs.

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I'm currently joined by Brenda Fernandez, who is

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the chief financial officer at Puerto Rico ASC

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Holding. So Brenda, thanks for being here. I'm

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gonna have you kick us off by sharing

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a little bit more about yourself and your

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work in the ASC space.

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Yeah. First, thank you for the invite.

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I currently serve as a chief financial officer

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of,

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network of ASCs in Puerto Rico. Our portfolio

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includes,

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two single specialty

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in ophthalmic ASCs and one multi specialty

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with the first outpatient

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total joint program on the island. My role

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focus on

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financial stewardship and sustainable growth,

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overseeing strategic investment, payer contracting, capital allocation, and

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operational

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efficiency.

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I work closely with the

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clinical and administrative leaders

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to ensure that

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every dollar spent

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aligns with our mission, which is delivering high

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quality, cost effective care in a compliant and

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scalable environment.

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Wonderful. Well, thanks for being here. And let's

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start our conversation by talking about the ASC

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market. In The US, this is projected to

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reach $60,800,000,000

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by 2030, and it continues to experience strong

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year over year growth. So from your perspective,

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what is the most significant trend and market

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forces driving this expansion? And how should ASC

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leaders be preparing today?

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Well, the growth, it's been fueled by a

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combination of payer payer incentive,

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patient preference, and innovation.

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From a financial lens, the shift of surgical

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volume from hospital to ASCs, especially orthopedics and

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ophthalmology,

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this creates meaningful cost saving for the system

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while maintaining quality.

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So

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there are

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opportunities in the market. So for ASC leaders,

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the priority should be scaling in a strategic

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way.

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For example, build strong financial motors around came

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case mix and payer mix to anticipate margin

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compression.

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Also, straighten revenue cycle performance,

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eligibility,

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coding, accuracy, and denials management.

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Another priority,

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might be aligned capital investment in technology and

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infrastructure with volume based

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return on investment projections.

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And the last one but not minor, diversity

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partnerships and bundled payment participation to stay competitive

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in a value based environment.

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Wonderful.

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And then from AI and robotic surgeries to

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advanced EHR systems, technology remains both a make

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or break factor and a critical driver of

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ASC operations at scale. So how do you

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see deeper tech integration shaping the ways ASCs

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deliver care and manage their business over the

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next few years?

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AI is a trending topic in this era.

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Technology is quickly becoming the great equalizer for

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a for ASCs.

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From my perspective,

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data driven decision making is now the differentiator

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between good and great centers.

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AI is,

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an automation are allowing us

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to actually predict case profitability

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and optimize staffing in real time.

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Also, doing some benchmark supply utilization and implant

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costs against national datasets.

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Also

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identify leakage points in billing or documentation

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that directly affect cash flow.

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Advanced analytics also make our board level reporting

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sharper. We can tie operational metrics

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directly to their financial impact like turnover, state,

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and infection rates among others.

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The next frontier

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is

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integrated

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dashboards that link quality outcomes, staffing, and cost

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per case on one platform.

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And with 60% of health systems considering ASC

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joint ventures and many ASCs already partnering with

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systems in their communities,

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what opportunities do you see for collaboration, whether

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with other providers or vendors, to strengthen patient

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care and operational efficiency?

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Partnerships

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are where where we are valued has been

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unlocked. Help system bring brand recognition

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and complex

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case pathways.

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ASCs brings efficiency and lower cost structures.

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There are too many opportunities in the market.

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So some of them include joint venture expansions,

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where hospital contribute case volume and capital, and

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ASCs provide operational excellence.

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Another opportunity

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might be vendor and implant partnerships

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tied to cost per case performance or volume

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based rebates.

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And, also, I think that cost provider networks,

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it could be another opportunity for bundled episodes,

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surgery,

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rehab,

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and follow ups to enhance con continuity of

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care and capture shared savings.

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The financial motor of the future is collaborative,

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share risk, share reward, and align transparency.

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Well, thank you so much for taking the

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time to join me today. Is there anything

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we didn't touch on or any final thoughts

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you'd like to share? Absolutely.

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Financial literacy, it's in the ASC world today

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means more than balancing books.

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It's about designing resilient systems.

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Our challenge is to remain lean while investing

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in the right innovations.

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The centers that

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thrive will be those that combine discipline and

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cost management with boldness in strategic growth.

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Technology and collaboration

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are not are not just enablers.

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They are capital multipliers when executed with precisions.

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Wonderful. Well, Brenda, thanks so much for joining

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me. And, again, we are recording live at

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the thirty first annual business and operations of

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ASCs. Thanks so much. Thank you.