The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) field will be very active this year with new transactions and partnerships, according to the “2016 ASC Valuation Survey” from HealthCare Appraisers Inc. Almost 90% of survey respondents say they plan to purchase an ASC this year, and 22% of those say they’ll acquire between six and 10 ASCs.

In the pink: For multispecialty ASCs, 78% of the respondents reported multiples of 7.0 to 8.0 times EBITDA when purchasing a controlling interest. When purchasing a controlling interest in single-specialty ASCs, 73% said the prevailing valuation multiples were 6.0 to 7.9 times EBITDA. Most respondents are willing to pay a premium for ASCs with a certificate of need (CON), with 56% reporting they would add a premium of 0.51 to 1.0 to the typical multiple.

The survey includes responses that represent more than 700 ASCs throughout the country.