The University of Pennsylvania Health System announced a joint venture to open at least 18 regional surgery centers last week.
The ambulatory surgery centers will offer safe, high-quality treatment while ensuring procedures remain affordable for patients. According to Chief of Plastic Surgery Joseph Serletti, the partnership is a “first” for Greater Philadelphia.
The model will “deliver high-quality, lower-cost care in settings that are closer to where patients live,” Serletti wrote in a statement. He added that the centers will bring together “leading organizations from across the health care ecosystem to expand outpatient surgical care.”
The partnership relies on three organizations: Penn Medicine, Independence Blue Cross, and Regent Surgical.
“Independence Blue Cross brings deep knowledge of the region's health care needs and a commitment to improving access, quality, and affordability,” an IBX spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Regent Surgical brings extensive experience developing, operating, and scaling ambulatory surgery centers across the country.”
“The partnership will also help ensure that our region is well positioned to meet the increasing demand for outpatient care in the years ahead,” Serletti wrote.
Penn Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield said that the Health System will be the majority owner in the partnership during a meeting of the University’s Board of Trustees last week.
“The structure ultimately is designed to accelerate our strategy in ambulatory service centers, being able to provide those services closer to where patients want to receive them,” Dingfield said.
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During the same meeting, Executive Vice President and Health System Chief Financial Officer Julia Puchtler highlighted a “growth in ambulatory pharmacy of 45 million” during fiscal year 2026.
IBX CEO Kelly Munson told the Philadelphia Inquirer that there could be up to a 50% discount if care is shifted from hospital departments to ambulatory surgery centers.
“When care costs less to deliver, employers face less pressure to pass those costs on to employees, and that matters for the strength of our local economy,” the IBX spokesperson wrote.
The first center is scheduled to open in 2027. Health System CEO Kevin Mahoney told the Inquirer that he wants to launch more in the future.
“They’re going to be convenient,” Mahoney said. “They’re going to be spread throughout the five counties, easy for people to get to.”
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Staff reporter Ashley Wang covers science and health and can be reached at wang@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies economics.
