Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare is aiming to invest $250 million annually in outpatient facility mergers and acquisitions as margins in that sector remain "phenomenal."
Such "phenomenal margins" are between 30 percent and 40 percent, CFO Dan Cancelmi told analysts in a results webcast.
In the future, it will be the extent of patient comorbidities that will likely decide if inpatients can migrate to an ambulatory setting, said CEO Saum Sutaria, MD. The health system is particularly looking at spine and orthopedics as growth areas in outpatient settings.
"Spine is still very much in acute care settings and there is still demand and runway for ASC orthopedics," he said. That could include shoulder surgery, for example.
The system, which reported net income of $143 million in the first quarter, operates 465 ambulatory facilities through its United Surgical Partners International division. USPI reported $905 million revenue in the first quarter.