Most people who build surgery centers have the best of intentions. However, working hard, being committed to being the best, and using good judgement aren't always enough to make a surgery center thrive or even survive. The surgery centers that exist today are a product of a kind of natural selection-those that start off badly, or start to decline and don't pull themselves together quickly enough, soon disappear.

According to Scott Becker, JD, CPA, a healthcare lawyer in the Chicago-based firm of Ross