Methodology
ASC Benchmarking Methodology
How the Intellimarker study collects, validates, and publishes financial benchmarks from more than 600 ambulatory surgery centers.
Built on Reported Results, Not Estimates
A benchmark is only as good as the data behind it. Intellimarker is built from financial and operational results reported directly by participating ambulatory surgery centers, then validated, grouped, and published as percentile distributions.
This page describes how that happens: how the sample is assembled, how peer groups are formed, how figures are screened, and how each edition stays current.
How the Study Is Built
Sample construction
Each edition draws on financial and operational data from more than 600 ambulatory surgery centers nationwide. The 2026 ASC edition presents fiscal year 2024 and 2025 results, collected directly from participating centers rather than assembled from public filings.
Peer group definition
Benchmarks are published nationally, across six U.S. geographic regions, and across seven specialty classes including orthopedics, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, and multi-specialty. Centers are classified by case mix, so a peer group reflects how a facility actually operates rather than how it describes itself.
Percentile distributions
Every metric is published as a distribution: the 25th percentile, mean, median, 75th percentile, and 90th percentile. A distribution shows where a facility sits in the range of real operating results, which a single average cannot.
Validation and outlier screening
Reported values are screened for outliers before publication using z-score analysis. Derived ratio metrics also get interquartile range filtering, since a single extreme input can distort a ratio; the published range reflects genuine operating variation.
Statistical significance threshold
A figure publishes only when enough centers report it to make the distribution meaningful. Where a peer group is too small to support a reliable percentile, the study says so rather than publishing an unreliable number.
Annual release cycle
Intellimarker follows an annual cycle. Each edition is rebuilt from a freshly collected sample, so benchmarks track the current cost, staffing, and reimbursement environment rather than carrying forward prior-year figures.
Common Questions
- What is ASC financial benchmarking?
- ASC financial benchmarking compares an ambulatory surgery center’s financial and operational results against the distribution of results from comparable centers. It answers whether revenue per case, staffing levels, supply costs, and margins are competitive for a facility of that size, region, and specialty mix.
- How many surgery centers are in the Intellimarker study?
- More than 600 ambulatory surgery centers nationwide, covering 170+ financial and operational metrics across revenue, expenses, staffing, case volumes, payer mix, and liquidity.
- How current is the benchmark data?
- Intellimarker publishes annually. The 2026 ASC edition presents benchmark data from fiscal years 2024 and 2025, collected directly from participating centers.
- How are peer groups defined?
- Benchmarks are available nationally, across six U.S. geographic regions, and across seven specialty classes. Centers are grouped by their actual case mix, so comparisons reflect how a facility operates.
- Who uses Intellimarker?
- Ambulatory surgery center operators and management companies use it to measure performance against peers. Investors and advisors use it to assess the reasonability of pro forma assumptions and to ground financial projections in observed percentile ranges.
See what each edition covers in the ASC benchmarking reports, or return to the ASC financial benchmarking overview.
To request access or schedule a demonstration, contact our team.
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