Surgical centers, otherwise known as ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), are used by doctors to perform a variety of surgical procedures that don't require patients to stay overnight in a hospital.

Typical procedures include eye, orthopedic and hand, and plastic surgery; pain management (spinal injections); podiatry; ear-nose-and-throat surgery, endoscopy and laparoscopy. Outpatient surgical centers are a lower-cost and more convenient alternative to hospitals.

Demand is driven by advances in medical techniques that allow more procedures to be done outside of hospitals.