A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 9
side, and the aging patient population still puts a great deal of demand on the
hospital. Us working together is a good thing overall."
Dr. Nessler concedes that pulling off a collaborative effort similar to what's
currently happening in St. Cloud will be more complex and difficult in commu-
nities where several orthopedic practices, surgery centers and hospitals are
competing for the same big slice of the outpatient pie. He believes the biggest
growth of outpatient joint procedures will take place in freestanding ASCs, and
that hospitals must have some financial stake in those centers for the model to
work. "If they don't partner with existing surgery centers, they'll fight the trend
with their own ASCs," says Dr. Nessler. "But unless their centers are truly mod-
eled after freestanding facilities, those efforts will ultimately fail."
OSM
