Financial Analysis 2011 - Volume Two - News Release

Contact: Gary Tuma, Communications Director
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STATE’S AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS FINANCIAL MARGINS RISE

Harrisburg, PA - September 25, 2012 - Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in Pennsylvania experienced modest improvement in their already significant financial margins in fiscal year 2011 (FY11), according to a new report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). The average total margin among ASCs increased slightly to 25.19% (from 24.99%) over the previous year. The average operating margin rose to 25.02% (from 24.86%).

The statewide average total margin was 25.47% over the past three fiscal years (FY09 to FY11). The ASCs’ average three-year total margins among the nine regions in Pennsylvania ranged from a low of 17.37% to a high of 35.11%.

“The financial margins for Pennsylvania’s ambulatory surgery centers continued to increase in fiscal year 2011,” said Joe Martin, Executive Director of PHC4. “The number of facilities also continued to grow, although not as rapidly as they did during the last decade.”

The number of ASCs in the state increased by five to 271 during FY11. During FY10, there was a net increase of four ASCs. Between FY00 and FY09, the number of ASC facilities had grown from 72 to 262, an average increase of 21 per year.

ASCs reported just over 1.0 million outpatient visits in FY11, an increase of only 0.7% from FY10. Net outpatient revenue was $1.043 billion, a 4.8% increase. ASCs performed 924,875 outpatient procedures, an increase of 2.5% over FY10. The procedures at ASCs were 32.5 percent of the total outpatient procedures in Pennsylvania, the other 67.5 percent having been performed at general acute care hospitals.

PHC4’s report on ambulatory surgery centers is the second in its three-part Financial Analysis series. Volume One, released in May, reported on the financial health of general acute care hospitals. Volume Three, to be released later this year, will focus on non-general acute care hospitals (rehabilitation, psychiatric, long-term acute care and specialty hospitals).

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council is an independent state agency charged with collecting, analyzing and reporting information that can be used to improve the quality and restrain the cost of health care in Pennsylvania. Copies of Financial Analysis 2011, Volume Two, are free and available on the Council’s website at http://www.phc4.org.