Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a game-changing force across healthcare, and nowhere is its impact more acutely felt than in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Tasked with delivering high-quality care in highly competitive and financially constrained environments, ASC leaders are turning to AI to streamline operations, enhance clinical practice, and unlock real-time data insights.

Driving Efficiency in Administration and Communications

For many ASCs, administrative complexity drives up costs and saps clinical resources. Les Jebson, administrator at Prisma Health’s Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, explains that the initial phase of AI adoption targets high-volume, repetitive clerical tasks: “Organizationally, we are the front end of broad AI implementations that really focus first on enhancing large volume administrative and clerical tasks.” With AI-enabled solutions, centers can automate pre-certifications, prior authorizations, appointment scheduling, and family communications—allowing staff to refocus on patient care.

AI is particularly vital for billing teams, who routinely navigate payer denials, coding changes, and lengthy appeals. Brooke Day, administrator at Hastings Surgical Center, notes, “Efficiency isn’t just nice to have — it’s survival. That’s why ChatGPT has become one of the most useful tools we’ve brought into our workflow. It’s not just a novelty or a shortcut — it’s a real solution to one of our biggest time drains: payer communication.” Automation of payer correspondence and claims management swiftly removes barriers to revenue cycle optimization.

Turning Data into Actionable Insights

The rise of data-driven decision making in ASCs owes much to advances in AI-powered analytics. Machine learning platforms ingest operational data—turnover times, volumes, staffing patterns—and provide executives with granular, actionable insights. Tara Good-Young, CEO of PDI Surgery Center, emphasizes the transformative effect: “Advanced data gathering and analytics utilizing refined AI will give facilities and providers more granular, meaningful insight from operational and functional data, faster.” As a result, administrators can accelerate reporting cycles and conduct timely performance reviews, sharply cutting delays between problem detection and resolution.

Enhancing Disease Detection and Surgical Precision

AI’s reach extends beyond the back office into the clinical realm, where it is redefining diagnosis and procedural accuracy. Orthopedic surgeons and gastroenterologists have begun deploying AI-enabled visual interfaces, especially in specialties like colonoscopy. Omar Khokhar, MD, of Illinois Gastro Health shares: “Artificial intelligence has become part of our practice. We’ve deployed an AI visual interface during colonoscopy, which can help detect precancerous lesions. Coming soon, we’ll use AI dictation for clinic visits and hope to use AI to scour our incoming queue to flag ‘high-risk’ referrals to bring them to the top of the list for scheduling purposes.” Such applications elevate precision, support rapid triage, and enhance patient outcomes.

From administrative automation to clinical innovation, AI adoption in ambulatory surgery centers is streamlining workflows, delivering on the promise of real-time analytics, and supporting the highest standards of care. As ASCs continue to operate at the intersection of quality and value, leadership that embraces AI is swiftly gaining a competitive edge—shaping not just the future of outpatient surgery but the very nature of modern healthcare delivery.

1. https://www.beckersasc.com/leadership/ai-use-in-ascs-where-are-leaders-seeing-a-difference/?origin=ASCE