Medical Exit GroupSell Your Ambulatory Surgery Center
Medical Exit Group is an ASC broker and M&A advisor for physician owners of ambulatory surgery centers: outpatient centers where patients have scheduled, same-day procedures, most often in GI, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pain management and spine. We value your center, help your partners choose between a full sale, a majority sale or a partnership, and run a confidential sale through closing.
- We represent sellers only
- Buyers sign an NDA first
- Full or partial sales
How a surgery center sale works
How do I sell an ambulatory surgery center?
To sell an ambulatory surgery center, first agree with your physician owners on what you are selling: the whole center, a majority stake or a minority stake. Then get a confidential valuation, organize your case, surgeon and payer data, plan the Medicare, state license and accreditation changes, market the center to qualified buyers under NDA, compare letters of intent, and manage diligence through closing.
Align the owners
We review your operating agreement and help your physician partners agree on goals, price and who sells before any buyer is contacted.
Value the center
A free, confidential valuation built on adjusted EBITDA, your case mix, payer mix and surgeon commitments.
Reach the right buyers
National ASC operators, health systems and private equity-backed platforms sign an NDA before they learn your center's name.
Compare LOIs
We compare letters of intent on price, the stake you keep, management terms and your role after closing, then run diligence to the finish.
What buyers look at
What do buyers look for in a surgery center?
Surgery center buyers look hardest at surgeon commitment, case volume and mix, payer mix, room to grow, how ownership is set up, and whether licenses, certification and the lease will carry over cleanly.
Surgeon commitment
Buyers pay for cases that keep coming after closing, so they look at which surgeons bring the volume and whether they plan to stay.
Case volume and mix
Steady volume in well-paid specialties, such as orthopedics, spine, GI, pain and ophthalmology, supports a stronger price.
Payer mix
The balance of commercial, Medicare and other payers shapes how dependable earnings look. Heavy reliance on one payer adds risk.
Room to grow
Open operating room time and space to add surgeons or specialties tell a buyer the center can grow after the sale.
Ownership and governance
A clear operating agreement, buy-sell terms and room for new physician partners make a deal easier to close.
Licenses, certification and lease
Medicare certification, state licensing, accreditation and the facility lease all have to move to the new owner.
Surgery center valuation
How is an ambulatory surgery center valued?
An ambulatory surgery center is valued on adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) times a multiple. Buyers first restate earnings with management fees, rent and anesthesia at market rates, then set the multiple on how committed your surgeons are, your case and payer mix, and how much room the center has to grow.
What pushes value up
Durable cases and room to grow
Several committed surgeons, strong specialties, a healthy commercial payer mix, open operating room time and clean financials all raise the multiple.
What pulls value down
Risk the buyer has to carry
Volume that depends on one or two surgeons near retirement, heavy reliance on one payer, below-market agreements that must be reset, and compliance gaps all lower the price.
Your number depends on your center. A free valuation looks at your surgeons, cases, payers and ownership, and gives you a realistic range before you talk to any buyer.
Get Your Free Surgery Center ValuationThe buyer pool
Who buys ambulatory surgery centers?
Ambulatory surgery centers are bought by national ASC operators, health systems and hospitals, private equity-backed surgical platforms, and physician groups adding a center of their own.
National ASC operators
Large operators such as USPI, SCA Health, Surgery Partners and AMSURG, which usually buy a majority and keep surgeons as partners.
Health systems
Hospitals and health systems buying centers outright or forming joint ventures with the physician owners.
Private equity platforms
Investor-backed groups, often focused on one specialty, building regional or national networks of centers.
Physician groups
Surgical and specialty groups adding a center for their own cases, often the best fit for a smaller center.
Private equity and hospitals
Should I sell my surgery center to private equity or a hospital?
It depends on what your surgeons want after the sale: national operators and private equity platforms usually buy a majority and keep physicians as partners, a health system may bring payer contracts and referrals through a joint venture, and a full sale suits owners ready to step away.
- Most deals keep surgeons as ownersSelling a majority while your physicians keep a stake is the most common structure.
- Compare structure, not just priceCash at closing, the stake you keep, management fees and non-compete terms all change what the deal is worth to you.
- We compare every pathWe put each offer side by side so your partners can choose with the full picture.
Questions
Selling a surgery center: common questions
What is an ambulatory surgery center?
An ambulatory surgery center (ASC) is an outpatient facility where patients have scheduled surgery and go home the same day. Most cases are in GI (colonoscopy and endoscopy), ophthalmology (cataract surgery), orthopedics (arthroscopy and, increasingly, joint replacement), pain management and spine. ASCs are not emergency rooms or urgent care clinics.
How do I sell an ambulatory surgery center?
Agree with your physician owners on what you want to sell, get a confidential valuation built on adjusted EBITDA, organize your case, surgeon and payer data, plan the Medicare, state license and accreditation changes, market the center to qualified buyers under NDA, compare letters of intent, then manage diligence through closing.
Can I sell part of my surgery center and keep operating it?
Yes. Many surgery center sales are a majority or minority sale, where the physician owners keep a stake and keep operating in the center while the buyer adds capital, management or payer contracts.
How is a surgery center valued?
Ambulatory surgery centers are valued on adjusted EBITDA times a multiple. Buyers set the multiple on how committed your surgeons are, your case and payer mix, and how much room the center has to grow. A free valuation gives you a range for your center.
How long does it take to sell a surgery center?
Most sales take 4 to 9 months from the first valuation to closing, sometimes less and sometimes more. Centers with many physician owners or state approvals to clear can take longer.
What approvals does a surgery center sale need?
Usually updates to Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, state licensing and, in some states, certificate-of-need rules, plus notice to your accrediting body and payers. Your healthcare attorney handles the filings, and we plan the timeline around them.
How much does an ASC broker cost?
Medical Exit Group works on commission only, so we are paid when your surgery center sells.
Will my surgeons and staff find out?
Your physician owners usually need to be part of the decision, because most operating agreements give them a vote or a right of first refusal. Beyond them, buyers sign an NDA before learning your center's name, and staff are told only when you decide.
Free and confidential
Find out what your surgery center could sell for
A free surgery center valuation, with no obligation to sell. Nothing is shared with anyone.
Request a Free Surgery Center Valuation