The future of ambulatory care: why ASCs need a unified marketplace to compete and grow.

Ambulatory Care Is the New Healthcare Frontier

The U.S. healthcare landscape is undergoing rapid change. What was once confined to hospitals is now happening in outpatient and ambulatory settings. Across the country, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) are expanding to meet patient demand for convenient, same-day procedures at lower costs.

The trend is clear: care is moving “outpatient”. The ASC market is projected to grow from $45.6 billion in 2024 to $55.3 billion by 2029, driven by payers and patients alike seeking high-quality, lower-cost alternatives to hospital-based procedures.

However, as the market expands, so do the challenges of scaling efficiently, maintaining compliance with transparency mandates, and reaching new patient segments.

The ASC Opportunity—and the Operational Reality

ASCs are built to deliver exceptional outcomes at affordable prices — often 20–50% less than hospitals for comparable procedures. Yet operational barriers frequently prevent centers from realizing their full growth potential.

Common challenges include:

• Opaque pricing and compliance pressure. Many ASCs still struggle to provide the level of price transparency now required under the No Surprises Act.
• Fragmented payments. Cash pay, self-insured employer contracts, and multi-party joint ventures each bring their own administrative burden.
• Limited visibility. Without a shoppable, digital presence, centers miss opportunities to attract high-deductible and self-pay patients actively searching for care.
• Disjointed workflows. Manual processes and disconnected billing systems slow reimbursements and create friction across partners.

These inefficiencies come at a cost, not just in revenue, but in reputation. Patients expect healthcare to work like every other part of their consumer lives: transparent, seamless, and digital.

A Marketplace Model for the Modern ASC

To compete in a value-based, consumer-driven market, ASCs must evolve from transactional facilities into digital businesses. That means becoming shoppable, transparent, and directly connected to both employers and patients.

Tendo Marketplace provides that infrastructure. It’s a unified platform that enables ASCs to manage pricing, visibility, payments, and growth within a single, connected ecosystem.

Key Advantages of the Tendo Marketplace

• Transparency at scale. Automate Good Faith Estimates (GFEs) and publish bundled pricing to stay compliant with federal transparency rules.
• Simplified payments. Collect and distribute funds seamlessly across all bundle participants, from facility to physician to anesthesia— eliminating manual billing and denials.
• Expanded reach. Tap into a national consumer marketplace and employer network through MDsave.com and Tendo Care Connect, driving volume and awareness.
• Data-driven pricing insights. Access analytics from over 180,000 procedure bundles across 10,000+ providers to benchmark pricing and stay competitive.
• Flexible governance. Whether your ASC is physician-owned, PE-backed, or part of a hospital joint venture, Tendo’s model is designed to adapt to your specific structure and workflow.

With Tendo, ASCs gain more than tools—they gain market presence, automation, and control.

Putting ASCs Back in Control

Unlike employer-focused contracting platforms, Tendo Marketplace is designed around ASC autonomy. Centers maintain control over their rates, offerings, and relationships, while leveraging digital tools to scale efficiently.

This provider-first approach helps ASCs:

• Capture cash-pay and direct-to-employer contracts without intermediaries.
• Build stronger referral relationships through seamless pricing and payments.
• Maintain compliance and transparency without additional administrative burden.
• Reinvest resources in patient experience and growth initiatives.

By turning fragmented workflows into a unified system, ASCs can finally deliver what today’s healthcare consumers expect—clarity, simplicity, and confidence in their care choices.

The Connected ASC: Ready for What’s Next

The shift to ambulatory care is permanent, and the providers who succeed will be those who combine clinical excellence with digital agility.

Tendo Marketplace transforms the way ASCs attract, price, and deliver care. It bridges the gap between compliance and growth, helping centers compete in a transparency-first market while improving access and efficiency for all stakeholders.

The future of healthcare is ambulatory.
And the future of ambulatory care runs through Tendo Marketplace—where transparency meets technology to power growth.

About Tendo

Tendo Marketplace connects Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), employers, and patients through a single platform for transparent, shoppable, and payable care. With over 10,000 providers and 180,000 live bundled procedures, Tendo helps ASCs grow through smarter pricing, seamless payments, and expanded market access.

Learn more at tendo.com