In his role as chief executive officer of Arizona Advanced Surgery LLC, Trent Blain feels an obligation to set the tone for the healthcare industry as a whole. He sees change on the horizon and an opportunity to make adjustments and find efficiencies.
“Healthcare is in an interesting space and has been for some time,” he said. “The trajectory of spend is unsustainable, which requires the industry to reimagine the delivery of healthcare. This engagement will require leaders from a multitude of spaces, such as public policy, commercial insurance, physician groups and healthcare delivery networks, to combine thought and develop a new model that not only aligns value to money but also supports a venue for healthy lifestyle education.
“As a leader in the delivery space, it is my commitment to continue the engagement of other healthcare executives to continue to refine the model to reduce the per capita spend over the next one to two decades.”
Arizona Advanced Surgery LLC is a large, multispecialty group providing surgical care across the Phoenix metro area. Over the next five years, the company will continue to leverage its size and diversity to attract more general surgery providers along with a couple of selective subspecialties.
The company led a consolidation of private practice operators into a new startup that launched January 1, 2021. “Because of the early decisions regarding governance principles, Arizona Advanced Surgery was able to grow by 25% in the first year and is poised to continue its growth safeguarding private practice and maintaining a commitment to entrepreneurship,” the company said.
Blain helped guide the consolidation process, working with partners to address concerns, setting procedures and organizing teams to complete tasks. He introduced a new 401(k) plan for employees.
“Trent never took his eye off of the end goal of consolidation and startup,” his team said. “Trent is a rare breed that not only believed in the vision but also knew and understood, for the plan to be successful, it required him to roll up his sleeves and be a part of the fray with his team.”
Fourteen months post-launch, the numbers say the process was a success. There were no resignations from Blain’s immediate team, and he doubled the organization’s size through the consolidation, expanding revenues from $15 million to over $40 million while attaining a 25% surgeon growth year over year.
“I used to think having the ability of moving from 30,000 feet to 5 feet, as an executive, was a differentiator between my peers and I,” Blain said. “Turns out, I’ve come to realize that the more time the helm is left unattended while dealing with operational issues, the more difficult the journey becomes.”
