SCA Health

What SCA Health does

SCA Health is a private, Birmingham, Alabama-headquartered ambulatory surgery center (ASC) management and specialty care company operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Optum (part of UnitedHealth Group, NYSE: UNH). Founded in 1982 (formerly Surgical Care Affiliates), the company manages a national network of ASCs and physician practices across 35 U.S. states and 200+ cities, delivering single- and multi-specialty surgical services across cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, total joint replacement, ENT, pain management, and spine care. The company employs 10,000+ teammates and supplements core ASC operations with anesthesia and ancillary service line offerings.

The company's core technology and operating model is a physician-led, multi-site practice platform that aligns physicians, health plans, and health systems around the "quadruple aim" of high-quality outcomes, better patient and provider experience, and reduced total cost of care. Proprietary elements include the physician-led multi-site model (incentives that protect physician independence and support transition to value-based care) and ancillary service line integration that extends beyond surgical procedures. As part of Optum, SCA Health benefits from the parent's technology and data capabilities but the input does not disclose any first-party AI/ML, software, or proprietary technology products.

SCA Health generates revenue through facility fees, procedure fees, and related healthcare services billed to health plans and patients across its ASC and physician practice footprint, supplemented by transaction revenue from acquiring ASCs via regulatory-mandated divestitures (e.g., the six-ASC acquisition from Ascension in 2026). The company pursues a B2B go-to-market through joint ventures with hospital systems and value-based partnerships with health plans, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its customer base is diversified across physicians, health plans, and health systems, supported by an active careers and employer brand presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Name

SCA Health

Legal name

SCA Health

Website

https://sca.health

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

SCA Health is a Birmingham, Alabama-headquartered, Optum-owned ambulatory surgery center management company operating a national network of 35-state ASCs and physician practices serving physicians, health plans, and hospital systems with multi-specialty surgical, anesthesia, and ancillary services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ambulatory Surgery Center Management

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (6223), Freestanding Ambulatory Surgical and Emergency Centers (621493)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Specialty Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) (HLAFAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Perioperative Anesthesia Services & Management (HLAFAIAM), Orthopedic & Surgical Recovery SNFs (HLADADAF)

Keywords

• Ambulatory surgery centers
• ASC management services
• Specialty surgical care
• Physician practice management
• Outpatient surgical services

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ambulatory Surgery Center Services: SCA Health operates a network of ambulatory surgery centers providing surgical procedures across multiple specialties including cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, ENT, pain management, and spine care. Revenue is generated through facility fees, procedure fees, and related healthcare services billed to health plans and patients.
2. ASC Acquisition and Divestiture Transactions: As part of regulatory requirements (FTC), SCA Health acquires ambulatory surgery centers from health systems undergoing mergers. This includes acquiring six ASCs from Ascension as part of the $3.9 billion AmSurg acquisition approval process.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SCA Health operates a national network of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and physician practices providing multi-specialty outpatient surgical services. The company's core offering is ASC management and surgical care delivery across cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, total joint replacement, ENT, pain management, and spine care, supported by anesthesia and ancillary service lines for physicians and health systems.

Product overview

SCA Health is a physician-led, multi-site ambulatory surgery center (ASC) management and specialty care company operating as part of Optum's care delivery network. The company operates a national network of ASCs and physician practices offering single and multi-specialty surgical services across cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, total joint replacement, ENT, pain management, and spine care. The core offering consists of ambulatory surgery centers supported by physician practices, with anesthesia and ancillary services serving as key add-on modules that extend care delivery capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inhouse: A brand under SCA Health for internal operations and staffing.
• SCA Health

Products and services

• Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs)

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivering on the quadruple aim of high-quality outcomes and a better experience for patients and providers, all at a reduced total cost of care

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AscensioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026As part of FTC approval for Ascension's $3.9 billion acquisition of AmSurg, SCA Health is acquiring six ambulatory surgery centers across five markets from Ascension. This divestiture requirement addresses antitrust concerns in overlapping markets where the combined entity could reduce competition. Ascension, which has faced ongoing operating losses and a 2024 cyberattack, expects the deal to close following a 30-day public comment period.
• FCPT (Four Corners Property Trust)minorOthers · 5 November 2025FCPT announced the acquisition of an SCA Health property for $3.9 million. This represents a real estate transaction where FCPT, a property trust, purchased an operational property from SCA Health.
• One World SurgerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCA Health is a foundational corporate partner of One World Surgery. Each year, teammates from clinical and corporate backgrounds participate in medical mission trips to deliver critical surgical care to the people of Honduras and the Dominican Republic at no cost to the patient.
• OptumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCA Health is part of Optum, a powerful care delivery system that is transforming healthcare across the United States. This affiliation provides access to resources, technology, and data capabilities that support SCA Health's operations and growth strategy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AmSurg: AmSurg is one of the largest US operators of ambulatory surgery centers, offering virtually identical multi-specialty ASC management services. It is the most direct competitor to SCA Health and was recently the subject of a $3.9B acquisition by Ascension, with SCA Health divesting six of its ASCs.
• Surgery Partners: Surgery Partners is a publicly-traded, pure-play ASC and surgical facility operator with a similar physician partnership and short-stay surgery model. It directly competes for the same physician JV and health system relationships as SCA Health.
• Envision Healthcare: Envision provides physician-led outsourced clinical services including ambulatory surgery and anesthesia. Its model of physician practice management plus ancillary service lines overlaps directly with SCA Health's physician practices and anesthesia offerings.
• Medical Facilities Corporation: Medical Facilities Corporation operates specialty surgical hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, primarily via partnerships with physicians. Its facility-based surgical care model and physician partnership structure are directly comparable to SCA Health's ASC platform.
• United Surgical Partners International (USPI): USPI is the largest ASC operator in the United States and a subsidiary of Tenet Healthcare. It directly competes with SCA Health in joint-venturing with health systems and physicians to operate multi-specialty ASCs, making it the closest pure-play comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Tenet Healthcare: Tenet owns USPI and also operates acute care hospitals, competing broadly with Optum/SCA Health across both inpatient and outpatient surgical services. Its hospital footprint is a competitor in JV sourcing and physician recruitment.
• HCA Healthcare: HCA is the largest US for-profit hospital operator with growing ASC and outpatient surgery capabilities. As a major health system and large-scale ambulatory competitor, it overlaps with SCA Health's specialty surgery and physician practice footprint.

Others

• Optum (UnitedHealth Group): Optum is the parent company of SCA Health and the care delivery arm of UnitedHealth Group. While not a peer in the traditional sense, Optum provides the strategic context, technology, and capital base that shapes SCA Health's competitive positioning.

Emerging players

• Regent Surgical Health: Regent Surgical Health is a privately-held ASC management and development company partnering with hospitals and physicians. It is a smaller but directly comparable operator competing for the same JV and partnership opportunities as SCA Health.
• SurgCenter Development: SurgCenter Development partners with physicians to develop and operate ASCs across multiple specialties. It is a smaller-scale but directly comparable ASC developer/operator competing for physician JVs in overlapping specialties.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SCAHealth1
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCAHealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scahealth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SCA Health