The History of PASA

PASA today provides a unified voice on issues affecting freestanding ambulatory surgery centers in Pennsylvania and applies strategic influence on regulatory agencies impacting free-standing ambulatory surgery centers. The state association also provides a vehicle for the communication and dissemination of information regarding the ambulatory surgery community among its members.

In 1989, when the first local chapter of PASA began, there were approximately 1000 surgical facilities in the United States. Although enthusiastic, the founding members couldn’t keep organizational momentum or widespread interest in what was then a niche medical facility. In 1992 PASA became inactive—but ambulatory surgery centers did not! Their numbers doubled, then tripled. It became critical to give professionals who owned and operated these centers a voice that could be heard by state and federal oversight agencies. Also a pressing need arose for a state-wide organization that could gather and distribute new research and information on center management, operations, and uses.

In 1996 PASA came back to life in the Keystone State with a clear purpose and direction. In August 2006, a new PASA initiative began to make PASA the authoritative and recognized resource for informational, educational, and networking for all ambulatory surgery centers in Pennsylvania.

Today there are 235 freestanding ambulatory surgery centers in Pennsylvania, and PASA has 90+ members from communities as disparate as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Erie.

PASA’s current goals are to increase membership roles and to become a powerful, united, and effective voice in Harrisburg and Washington DC. Through PASA, our state’s freestanding ambulatory surgery centers can remain an accessible and safe patient choice and a wonderful environment for working medical professionals to provide superior patient care.