The newly opened cardiovascular surgery centers in Montgomery County are offering lower procedure costs, attracting profitable cases that would otherwise go to hospitals, writes Harold Brubaker for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Since opening a year and a half ago, AMS Surgery Center in Horsham has completed over 1,000 cardiac procedures, which previously required patients to visit full-service hospitals. This freestanding outpatient facility provides advanced healthcare services that are designed to reduce the costs to patients.
“We’ve always been very fiercely independent, fiercely entrepreneurial, and patient-centered,” said Richard Borge, an AMS interventional cardiologist.
Cardiovascular surgery centers began opening in 2022 after state lawmakers expanded the types of procedures that are permitted outside hospitals, including cardiac catheterizations, pacemaker implants, and other treatments.
In the same year, Bryn Mawr Medical Specialists Association, an independent group of physicians, opened the Heart & Vascular Center of the Main Line in Bryn Mawr. AMS Surgery Center conducted its first procedure two years later, initially only for Medicare patients it has since expanded to private insurance patients last summer.
The market is continuing to rapidly expand, with the Ambulatory Cardiovascular Center of Pennsylvania, near King of Prussia, set to perform procedures next month.
Read more about the cardiovascular surgery centers in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on MONTCO Today in March 2026.
