11/22/2025
Affiliates and referral partners are growing amongst law firms, led by Morgan & Morgan's expansion model. It isn't just in the legal industry. The rise of the affiliate model is also growing in medicine. Here is an article directly on point for ASCs, from a Becker's podcast. Here is Becker's own recap:
The rise of the ASC ‘affiliate model’
As the ASC industry continues to expand, diversify and become more competitive, smaller practices are exploring new methods of partnership in order to sustainably grow while maintaining autonomy.
EJ Ledesma, CEO of Sarasota, Fla.-based 360 Orthopedics, recently joined Becker’s for an episode of the Becker’s ASC Podcast to discuss how he is thinking about new partnerships and expansion in the near future.
Editor’s note: This response has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How are you thinking about growth over the next 12 months?
EJ Ledesma: So we are in the process of having conversations with a practice that is south of us, that we are very friendly with, but they have their own market share, their own providers. They do great work, but they’re facing what a lot of other small practices are facing, which is higher cost. They don’t have the negotiating power to seek better reimbursement. They’re facing something that they know is going to come over the next 12 months, which is potentially significant margin erosion while having two of their providers aging out. So we are going to be speaking to them next month about an opportunity to join our group as an affiliate, which allows them to benefit from our reimbursement model, which is the best in our area, in addition to seeking economies of scale through our revenue cycle, our authorizations team and our scheduling department. At the end of the day, both practices can work together to create a more profitable organization that allows our affiliate practices to retain their independence, their brand, etc. We’re providing, if you will, those management services on the back end, to benefit both organizations. I think, and I would hope, that other organizations, whether orthopedics or not, would look at that as an opportunity for the future, if indeed, they’re not looking to sell to private equity, they’re looking to improve their bottom line, and they’re open to to seeking best practices and economies of scale without having to entrench in each other’s market share.
As the ASC industry continues to expand, diversify and become more competitive, smaller practices are exploring new methods of partnership in order to sustainably grow while maintaining autonomy. EJ Ledesma, CEO of Sarasota, Fla.-based 360 Orthopedics, recently joined Becker’s for an episode of th...
