Ambulatory service centers (ASC) also referred as outpatient care centers. These are medical care facilities that provide outpatient services such as consultation, diagnosis, treatment, and intervention services. It is a more convenient alternative to hospital-based outpatient procedures. Various specialties that serve in ASC are ophthalmology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, plastic surgery, pain, gynecology, and many others. Physicians have taken the lead for the development of ASC to improve patient care, quality, and cost-effectivity. The first facility was opened in 1970 in the U.S. With the increasing burden on healthcare facilities, hospitals were facing several challenges such as limited operating room, scheduling delays, and difficulties for obtaining new medical devices or equipment due to low hospital budgets, which is responsible for the development of ambulatory service centers.           

Market Dynamics

Ambulatory care centers are cost-effective and do not require a hospital stay, hence the growing patient preference for the same is likely to drive the market during the forecast period. The availability of funding for ambulatory healthcare facilities and supportive government initiatives are also anticipated to propel the market growth in the coming years. Technological advancements in minimally invasive surgeries and its growing demand due to increasing awareness and shorten hospital stay; thereby lower expenditure will drive the market further during the forecast period. For instance, the development of endoscopy and laparoscopy has reduced the need for longer hospital stays.

Governments across the world are investing more in primary healthcare facilities to provide accessible medical care and decrease the burden on hospitals. For instance, in February 2016, NHS introduced the reforms, which include the provision of enhanced funding to general physicians to ease the pressure on emergency and accident departments, boosted the prospects of Primary Healthcare Properties (PHP). Various business strategies undertaken by key operating players and investment firms are also anticipated to boost the market growth in the coming years. These strategies include mergers and acquisitions, geographic expansion, and product launches.

Based on the type of ambulatory health care services, the market has been segmented into primary care offices, medical specialty, emergency departments, and surgical specialty. Primary care offices accounted for the largest share of the market in 2018. This can be attributed to the high demand for services across the globe, the development of new technologies, easy access to the site for diagnosis & treatment, and low-cost treatment as compared to other settings. However, the surgical specialty is expected to observe significant growth during the forecast period due to technological development and the growing preference for minimally invasive surgeries. Based on application ambulatory care centers categorized into orthopedics, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, plastic surgery, pain management or spinal injections, and others. Plastic surgery is anticipated to observe the fastest growth during the forecast period due to increasing awareness about the safety of surgery and development in the minimally invasive field. The gastroenterology segment dominated the market in 2018 due to a large number of surgical procedures across the world.

North America dominated the global ambulatory health care services market in 2018 and is anticipated to observe its dominance during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the presence of a large number of well-equipped ambulatory centers, favorable reimbursement for various procedures at ambulatory centers, and the preference of patients for ambulatory facilities due to associated advantages over hospitals. Furthermore, government initiatives and mergers & acquisitions activities of ambulatory centers are also propelling the market growth. According to the data published in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, about 17.2 million hospital visits occurred in 2014. From these more than half of the visits (57.8%) occurred in hospital-owned ambulatory surgery centers and 42.2% were inpatient in the U.S. The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period due to increasing awareness about ambulatory centers, technological adoption, and increased in-hospital readmission encourages the expansion of outpatient centers.

The market research study on “Ambulatory Health Care Service Market – Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Opportunities and Forecast, 2019 – 2026”, offers a detailed insight on the global ambulatory health care market entailing insights on its different market segments. Market dynamics with drivers, restraints, and opportunities with their impact are provided in the report. The report provides insights into the global ambulatory health care service market, its type, its application, and major geographic regions. The report covers basic development policies and layouts of technology development processes. Secondly, the report covers global ambulatory health care services market size and segment markets by type, by application, and geography along with the information on companies operating in the market. The ambulatory health care service market analysis is provided for major regional markets including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. For each region, the market sizes for different segments have been covered under the scope of the report.  

The players profiled in the report include Aspen Healthcare; AmSurg Corp.; Terveystalo; IntegraMed America, Inc.; and Medical Facilities Corporation. The competitors are involved in the mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations to enhance service portfolio and geographical presence in the market.  

Market Segmentation

By Type

• Primary Care Offices
• Medical Specialty
• Emergency Departments
• Surgical Specialty

By Application

• Orthopedics
• Ophthalmology
• Gastroenterology
• Plastic Surgery
• Pain Management or Spinal Injections
• Others

By Geography

• North America
  • US.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • UK.
  • Germany
  • France
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
  • GCC
  • South Africa
  • Rest of Middle East & Africa