Green ASC

Sustainable Solutions for Ambulatory Surgery Centers

SION60 ASC helps ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) improve margins by reducing energy use, waste, and operational inefficiencies—without adding burden to clinicians or administrators.

In partnership with Howard Maunus, MD, a retired gastroenterologist and Fellow of the Climate Health Organizing Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, SION60 ASC delivers a low-cost, high-ROI sustainability program designed specifically for ASC operations. We handle the analysis, planning, vendor coordination, and project management—so your team can stay focused on patient care.

Why It Matters
Ambulatory surgery centers operate on tight margins. Small changes in energy use, supply costs, and clinical workflows can have an outsized impact on financial performance.

Clinicians and staff see waste every day—but often lack the time, data, or authority to address it. SION60 ASC converts those everyday inefficiencies into measurable cost savings. In a recent assessment at a small ophthalmology ASC, we identified between $100,000-$200,000 in potential annual savings through practical, immediately actionable interventions—many requiring minimal upfront investment.

Aligned with Industry Standards
Our work prepares ASCs for participation in the GreenCare ASC Certification Program, a comprehensive 1,000-point sustainability framework developed through the Climate Health Organizing Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) has committed to offering GreenCare ASC Certification as a voluntary program and is actively working with the GreenCare team on implementation and alignment with existing ASC accreditation standards.

In parallel, the GreenCare ASC framework has been shared with the other major ASC accrediting organizations and is being evaluated as a potential future pathway for voluntary sustainability alignment across the ASC accreditation landscape.

The framework focuses on five Key Performance Areas that directly impact both operating costs and environmental performance: Energy Management, Waste Management, Anesthetic Gas Management, Water Management, and Sustainable Procurement.

The Green ASC Report

Your GreenCare ASC Report includes:

  • Energy-reduction opportunities based on the most commonly implemented healthcare efficiency projects
  • Clinical operations and waste-reduction strategies
  • Water-use assessment and conservation recommendations
  • Recycling, reprocessing, and reuse opportunities including single-use device reprocessing, instrument recycling, and reusable alternatives
  • State and local utility incentive and regulatory assessment
  • A customized GreenCare ASC Certification roadmap
  • Access to vetted vendor partners
  • A practical framework for creating a self-sustaining sustainability budget and governance structure

Priced To Save You Money
Assessment: $5,000 Comprehensive on-site evaluation with detailed, facility-specific recommendations

Implementation: Performance-based fee tied to documented first-year savings

  • 20% of the first $50,000 in savings
  • 15% of savings between $50,000–$100,000
  • 10% of savings above $100,000

Example:
An ASC achieving $120,000 in annual savings would pay: $10,000 (20% of first $50K) + $7,500 (15% of next $50K) + $2,000 (10% of remaining $20K) = $19,500
That’s a Year-1 benefit of $100,500, with continued savings in future years.

Get Started
ASCs need a clear plan for long-term financial and environmental sustainability. Contact SION60 for a no-obligation conversation about what’s possible at your facility.

Our Process

Designed to minimize demands on your team:

  1. Preparation call (1 hour) Baseline data review and goal alignment
  2. On-site assessment (1 day) Facility walkthrough, staff interviews, and operational review
  3. Report delivery (within 2 weeks) Clear recommendations with projected savings and applicable incentives

What We Analyze

Our methodology aligns with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol:

  • Scope 1 – Direct emissions: Natural gas, anesthetic gases, nitrous oxide, fleet vehicles
  • Scope 2 – Energy: Electricity use, utility pricing and incentives, energy-use intensity, LED lighting, HVAC optimization, temperature setbacks
  • Scope 3 – Supply chain: High-impact vendors and products, pharmacy, single-use device reprocessing, equipment reuse and donation programs, blue wrap and plastics recycling, reusable gowns and drapes, surgical kits, and procedure-level product analysis
  • Waste: Regulated medical waste segregation, recycling streams (cardboard, paper, plastics, metals), composting opportunities, and waste vendor contract optimization
  • Water: Usage analysis, sterilization and reprocessing efficiency, cooling systems, low-flow fixtures, and applicable utility rebates
  • Operations: EMR order sets, length of stay, patient flow, infection control protocols, and procedure volume

Incentives and Grant Assistance

SION60 ASC doesn’t just identify savings—we help ASCs capture external funding to offset implementation costs, including:

  • Utility rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades
  • State environmental and clean-energy incentives
  • Federal programs, including EPA grants, USDA Rural Energy for America Program (for eligible rural ASCs), and Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits
  • Local government sustainability initiatives

Many ASCs leave funding unclaimed simply because these programs are difficult to track or time-consuming to apply for. SION60 ASC handles the research, documentation, and coordination.