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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

FORM 10-K

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2003

Commission File Number 000-22217

AMSURG CORP.

(615) 665-1283
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

     Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes [X]       No [  ]

     Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.

[  ]

     Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).

Yes [X]       No [  ]

     As of March 11, 2004, 20,131,547 shares of the Registrant’s common stock were outstanding. The aggregate market value of the shares of common stock of the Registrant held by nonaffiliates on March 11, 2004 (based upon the closing sale price of these shares as reported on the Nasdaq National Market as of March 11, 2004) was approximately $627,000,000. This calculation assumes that all shares of common stock beneficially held by executive officers and members of the Board of Directors of the Registrant are owned by “affiliates,” a status which each of the officers and directors individually may disclaim.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

     Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 20, 2004, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents to Annual Report or Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2003

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Part I

Item 1. Business

Our company was formed in 1992 for the purpose of developing, acquiring and operating practice-based ambulatory surgery centers in partnership with physician practice groups throughout the United States. An AmSurg surgery center is typically located adjacent to or in close proximity to the specialty medical practice of a physician group partner’s office. Each of the surgery centers provides a narrow range of high volume, lower-risk surgical procedures, generally in a single specialty, and has been designed with a cost structure that enables us to charge fees which we believe are generally less than those charged by hospitals and freestanding outpatient surgery centers for similar services performed on an outpatient basis. As of December 31, 2003, we owned a majority interest in 116 surgery centers in 28 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2003, we also had 12 centers under development and had executed letters of intent to acquire or develop eight additional centers.

We are a Tennessee corporation; our principal executive offices are located at 20 Burton Hills Boulevard, Nashville, Tennessee 37215, and our telephone number is 615-665-1283.

Risk Factors

The following factors affect our business and the industry in which we operate. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also have an adverse effect on us. If any of the matters discussed in the following risk factors were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects could be materially adversely affected.

We Depend on Payments from Third-Party Payors, Including Government Healthcare Programs, and These Payments May be Reduced, Even Though Our Costs May Increase. We depend on private and governmental third-party sources of payment for the services provided to patients in our surgery centers. The amount of payment a surgery center receives for its services may be adversely affected by market and cost factors as well as other factors over which we have no control, including Medicare and Medicaid regulations and the cost containment and utilization decisions of third-party payors. We derived approximately 40% of our revenues in 2003 from U.S. government healthcare programs, primarily Medicare. In addition, the market share growth of managed care has resulted in substantial competition among healthcare providers for inclusion in managed care contracting in some locations. Exclusion from participation in a managed care contract in a specific location can result in material reductions in patient volume and reimbursement to a practice-based ambulatory surgery center. We can give you no assurances that fixed fee schedules, capitated payment arrangements, exclusion from participation in managed care programs or other factors affecting payments for healthcare services over which we have no control will not have a material adverse effect on us.

Our Revenues May be Adversely Affected by Proposed Changes in the Reimbursement System of Outpatient Surgical Procedures Under the Medicare Program. The Medicare program pays for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services using a fee schedule. The payment rates are based on a cost survey of ASC procedures. The most recent cost survey, conducted in 1994, was never implemented. Thus, the Medicare program bases its payments on a 1986 cost survey. The recently enacted Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) sets the 2004 ASC payment update at the Consumer Price Index for all urban areas (CPI-U) minus three percentage points, beginning April 1, 2004. For 2005 through 2009, the payment update will be zero percent. MMA directs the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a comparative study of the relative costs of procedures furnished in ASCs to the relative costs of procedures furnished in hospital outpatient departments. GAO is to submit its recommendations to Congress regarding the appropriateness of using the groups and relative weights established for the hospital outpatient prospective payment system as the basis for a revised ASC payment system. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is to implement a revised payment system for ASCs on or after January 1, 2006, but no later than January 1, 2008. We can give no assurances that a new payment system will not reduce our reimbursement rates from Medicare in the future.

Our Business Depends on Relationships with Physician Partners, Which May be Subject to Conflicts of Interest and Disputes. Our business depends on, among other things, the efforts and success of the physician partners who

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perform surgical procedures at the surgery centers and the strength of our relationship with these physicians. Our business could be adversely affected if these physicians do not maintain the quality of medical care or do not follow required professional guidelines at our surgery centers, if there is damage to the reputation of a key physician or group of physicians or if our relationship with a key physician partner or group of physician partners is impaired. As the owner of majority interests in the limited partnerships and limited liability companies that own our surgery centers, we owe a fiduciary duty to the physicians who are minority interest holders in these entities and may encounter conflicts between our interests and that of the minority holders. In these cases, our representatives on the operating board or board of governors of each joint venture are obligated to exercise reasonable, good faith judgment to resolve the conflicts and may not be free to act solely in our own best interests. In our role as general partner of the limited partnership or as chief manager of the limited liability company, we generally exercise our discretion in managing the business of the surgery center. Disputes may arise between us and the physician partners regarding a particular business decision or the interpretation of the provisions of the limited partnership agreement or limited liability company operating agreement. The agreements provide for arbitration as a dispute resolution process in some circumstances. We cannot assure you that any dispute will be resolved or that any dispute resolution will be on terms satisfactory to us.

If We Fail to Comply With Applicable Laws and Regulations, We Could Suffer Penalties or Be Required to Make Significant Changes to Our Operations. We are subject to many laws and regulations at the federal, state and local government levels in the jurisdictions in which we operate. These laws and regulations require that our surgery centers and our operations meet various licensing, certification and other requirements, including those relating to:

	•		physician ownership of our surgery centers;
	•		certificate of need, or CON, approvals and other regulations affecting construction, acquisition of centers, capital expenditures or the addition of services;
	•		the adequacy of medical care, equipment, personnel, operating policies and procedures;
	•		qualifications of medical and support personnel;
	•		maintenance and protection of records;
	•		billing for services by healthcare providers;
	•		privacy and security of protected health information; and
	•		environmental protection.

If we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could suffer civil or criminal penalties, including the loss of our licenses to operate and our ability to participate in Medicare, Medicaid and other government sponsored and third-party healthcare programs. In the future, different interpretations or enforcement of existing or new laws and regulations could subject our current practices to allegations of impropriety or illegality, or could require us to make changes in our facilities, equipment, personnel, services, capital expenditure programs or operating expenses. We can give you no assurances that current or future legislative initiatives or government regulation will not have a material adverse effect on us or reduce the demand for our services.

If a Federal or State Agency Asserts a Different Position or Enacts New Laws or Regulations Regarding Illegal Remuneration or Other Forms of Fraud and Abuse, We Could Suffer Penalties or Be Required to Make Significant Changes to Our Operations. A federal law, referred to as the anti-kickback statute, prohibits healthcare providers and others from soliciting, receiving, offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration with the intent of generating referrals or orders for services or items covered by a federal healthcare program. The anti-kickback statute is very broad in scope and many of its provisions have not been uniformly or definitively interpreted by case law or regulations. Violations of the anti-kickback statute may result in substantial civil or criminal penalties and exclusion from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Exclusion from these programs would result in significant reductions in revenue and would have a material adverse effect on our business.

DHHS has published final safe harbor regulations that outline categories of activities that are deemed protected from prosecution under the anti-kickback statute. Three of the safe harbors apply to business arrangements similar to those used in connection with our surgery centers: the “surgery centers,” “investment interest” and “personal services and management contracts” safe harbors. The structure of the limited partnerships and limited liability companies operating our surgery centers, as well as our various business arrangements involving physician group practices, do not satisfy all of the requirements of any safe harbor. Nevertheless, a business arrangement that does not substantially comply with a safe harbor is not necessarily illegal under the anti-kickback statute.

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In addition, many of the states in which we operate also have adopted laws, similar to the anti-kickback statute, that prohibit payments to physicians in exchange for referrals, some of which apply regardless of the source of payment for care. These statutes typically impose criminal and civil penalties as well as loss of license.

In addition to the anti-kickback statute, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, broadened the scope of the fraud and abuse laws by adding several criminal provisions for healthcare fraud offenses that apply to all health benefit programs. This Act also created new enforcement mechanisms to combat fraud and abuse, including the Medicare Integrity Program and an incentive program under which individuals can receive up to $1,000 for providing information on Medicare fraud and abuse that leads to the recovery of at least $100 of Medicare funds. In addition, federal enforcement officials now have the ability to exclude from Medicare and Medicaid any investors, officers and managing employees associated with business entities that have committed healthcare fraud. This Act also established a new violation for the payment of inducements to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in order to influence those beneficiaries to order or receive services from a particular provider or practitioner.

If Regulations or Regulatory Interpretations Change, We May Be Obligated to Buy Out Interests of Physicians Who Are Minority Owners of the Surgery Centers. The limited partnership and operating agreements for the limited partnerships and limited liability companies provide that if certain regulations or regulatory interpretations change, we will be obligated to purchase some or all of the minority interests of the physician entities affiliated with us in the limited partnerships or limited liability companies that own and operate our surgery centers. The regulatory changes that could trigger such an obligation include changes that:

	•		make the referral of Medicare and other patients to our surgery centers by physicians affiliated with us illegal;
	•		create the substantial likelihood that cash distributions from the limited partnership or limited liability company to the affiliated physicians will be illegal; or
	•		cause the ownership by the physicians of interests in the limited partnerships or limited liability companies to be illegal.

The cost of repurchasing these minority interests would be substantial. There can be no assurance that our existing capital resources would be sufficient for us to meet the obligation, if it arises, to purchase these minority interests held by physicians. The determination of whether a triggering event has occurred generally is made by the concurrence of counsel for AmSurg and counsel for the physician partners or, in the absence of such concurrence, by a nationally recognized law firm having an expertise in healthcare law jointly selected by both parties. Such determination is therefore not within our control. While we have attempted to structure the purchase obligations to be as favorable as possible to us, the triggering of these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises Congress on Medicare issues, has stated that it is studying physician ownership in ambulatory surgery centers and the possible effect of this ownership on utilization. While we believe physician ownership of ambulatory surgery centers as structured within our limited partnerships and limited liability companies is in compliance with applicable law, there can be no assurance that conclusions reached by MedPAC’s study, would not generate legislative or regulatory changes that would have an adverse impact on us. The issue of physician ownership in ASCs is also being considered by some state legislatures.

If We are Unable to Acquire and Develop Additional Surgery Centers on Favorable Terms and Manage Our Growth, We Will Be Unable to Execute Our Acquisition and Development Growth Strategy. Our strategy includes increasing our revenues and earnings by continuing to acquire surgery centers and developing additional surgery centers. Our efforts to execute our acquisition and development strategy may be affected by our ability to identify suitable candidates and negotiate and close acquisition and development transactions. We are currently evaluating potential acquisitions and development projects and expect to continue to evaluate acquisitions and development projects in the foreseeable future. The surgery centers we develop typically incur losses during the initial months of operation. We can give you no assurances that we will be successful in acquiring surgery centers, developing surgery centers or achieving satisfactory operating results at acquired or newly developed centers. We can give you no assurances that the assets we acquire in the future will ultimately produce returns that justify our related investment. To accommodate our past and anticipated future growth, and to compete effectively, we will need to

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continue to implement and improve our management, operational and financial information systems and to expand, train, manage and motivate our workforce. We can give you no assurances that our personnel, systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support our operations in the future or that focusing our financial resources and management attention on the expansion of our operations will not adversely affect our financial results.

If We Are Unable to Grow Revenues At Our Existing Centers, We Will Not Be Able To Execute Our Existing Centers Growth Strategy. Our strategy includes increasing our revenues and earnings by increasing the revenues of our existing centers. We seek to increase revenues at our existing centers by increasing the number of physicians performing procedures at our centers, obtaining new or more favorable managed care contracts, promoting screening programs, increasing patient and physician awareness of our centers and through operating efficiencies. We can give you no assurances that we will be successful at increasing or maintaining revenues and earnings at our existing centers.

If We Do Not Have Sufficient Capital Resources for Our Acquisition and Development Strategy, Our Growth Could Be Limited. We will need capital to acquire, develop, integrate, operate and expand surgery centers. We may finance future acquisition and development projects through debt or equity financings and may use shares of our capital stock for all or a portion of the consideration to be paid in acquisitions. To the extent that we undertake these financings or use capital stock as consideration, our shareholders may, in the future, experience ownership dilution. To the extent we incur debt, we may have significant interest expense and may be subject to covenants in the related debt agreements that affect the conduct of our business. If we do not have sufficient capital resources, our growth could be limited and our operations impaired. Our bank loan agreement requires that we comply with financial covenants and may not permit additional borrowing or other sources of debt financing if we are not in compliance. We can give you no assurances that we will be able to obtain financing necessary for our acquisition and development strategy or that, if available, the financing will be on terms acceptable to us.

We Are Liable for the Debts and Other Obligations of the Limited Partnerships That Own and Operate Some of Our Surgery Centers, and the Physician Partners Are Only Guarantors of the Debts. In the limited partnerships in which we are the general partner, we are liable for 100% of the debts and other obligations of the limited partnership; however, the limited partnership agreement generally requires the physician partners to guarantee their pro rata share of any indebtedness or lease agreements to which the limited partnership is a party in proportion to their ownership interest in the limited partnership. We also have primary liability for the bank debt that may be incurred for the benefit of the limited liability companies, and in turn, lend funds to these limited liability companies, although the physician members also guarantee this debt. There can be no assurance that a third-party lender or lessor would seek performance of the guarantees rather than seek repayment from us of any obligation of the limited partnership or limited liability company if there is a default, or that the physician partners or members would have sufficient assets to satisfy their guarantee obligations.

New Federal and State Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives Relating to Patient Privacy Could Require Us to Expend Substantial Sums Acquiring and Implementing New Information Systems, Which Could Negatively Impact Our Financial Results. There are currently numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives at the state and federal levels addressing patient privacy concerns. In particular, on December 28, 2000, DHHS released final health privacy regulations implementing portions of the Administrative Simplification Provisions of HIPAA, and in August 2002 published revisions to the final rules. These final health privacy regulations generally became mandatory on April 14, 2003 and extensively regulate the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health-related information.

In addition, HIPAA requires DHHS to adopt standards to protect the security of health-related information. DHHS released final security regulations on February 20, 2003. The security regulations will generally become mandatory on April 20, 2005. These security regulations will require healthcare providers to implement administrative, physical and technical practices to protect the security of individually identifiable health-related information that is electronically maintained or transmitted. Further, as required by HIPAA, DHHS has adopted final regulations establishing electronic data transmission standards that all healthcare providers must use when submitting or receiving certain healthcare transactions electronically. Compliance with these regulations became mandatory for our affiliated centers on October 16, 2003. DHHS has agreed to accept noncompliant Medicare claims for an unspecified time to assist providers that are not yet able to process compliant transactions. However, this extension may be terminated by DHHS and is not binding on private payors.

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If we fail to comply with these regulations, we could suffer civil penalties up to $25,000 per calendar year for each provision violated and criminal penalties with fines of up to $250,000 per violation. In addition, our facilities will continue to remain subject to any state laws that are more restrictive than the privacy regulations issued under HIPAA. These statutes vary by state and could impose additional penalties.

Providers in the Healthcare Industry Have Been the Subject of Federal and State Investigations, and We May Become Subject to Investigations in the Future. Both federal and state government agencies have heightened and coordinated civil and criminal enforcement efforts as part of numerous ongoing investigations of healthcare companies, as well as their executives and managers. These investigations relate to a wide variety of topics, including referral and billing practices. Further, amendments in 1986 to the federal False Claims Act have made it easier for private parties to bring “qui tam” whistleblower lawsuits against companies. Some states have adopted similar state whistleblower and false claims provisions.

The Office of Inspector General, or OIG, and the Department of Justice have, from time to time, established national enforcement initiatives that focus on specific billing practices or other suspected areas of abuse. Some of our activities could become the subject of governmental investigations or inquiries. For example, we have significant Medicare and Medicaid billings and we have joint venture arrangements involving physician investors. In addition, our executives and managers, many of whom have worked at other healthcare companies that are or may become the subject of federal and state investigations and private litigation, could be included in governmental investigations or named as defendants in private litigation. We are not aware of any governmental investigations involving any of our facilities, our executives or our managers. A future investigation of us, our executives or our managers could result in significant expense to us, as well as adverse publicity.

We May Write-Off Intangible Assets, Such as Goodwill. As a result of purchase accounting for our various acquisition transactions, our balance sheet at December 31, 2003 contained an intangible asset designated as goodwill totaling $228.7 million. Additional purchases of interests in practice-based surgery centers that result in the recognition of additional intangible assets would cause an increase in these intangible assets.

On an ongoing basis, we evaluate whether facts and circumstances indicate any impairment of value of intangible assets. As circumstances change, we cannot assure you that the value of these intangible assets will be realized by us. If we determine that a significant impairment has occurred, we would be required to write-off the impaired portion of intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the write-off occurs.

The IRS May Challenge Tax Deductions for Certain Acquired Goodwill. For federal income tax purposes, goodwill and other intangibles acquired as part of the purchase of a business after August 10, 1993 are deductible over a 15-year period. We have been claiming and continue to take tax deductions for goodwill obtained in our acquisition of assets of practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. In 1997, the IRS published proposed regulations that applied “anti-churning” rules to call into question the deductibility of goodwill purchased in transactions structured similarly to some of our acquisitions. The anti-churning rules are designed to prevent taxpayers from converting existing goodwill for which a deduction would not have been allowable prior to 1993 into an asset that could be deducted over 15 years, such as by selling a business some of the value of which arose prior to 1993 to a related party. On January 25, 2000, the IRS issued final regulations which continue to call into question the deductibility of goodwill purchased in transactions structured similarly to some of our acquisitions. This uncertainty applies only to goodwill that arose in part prior to 1993, so the tax deductions we have taken with respect to interests acquired in surgery centers that were formed after August 10, 1993 are not affected. In response to these final regulations, in 2000 we changed our methods of acquiring interests in practice-based ambulatory surgery centers so as to comply with guidance found in the final regulations. There is a risk that the IRS could challenge tax deductions for pre-1993 goodwill in acquisitions we completed prior to changing our approach. Loss of these tax deductions would increase the amount of our tax payments, could subject us to penalties and would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

If We Are Unable to Effectively Compete for Physician Partners, Certain Strategic Relationships and Patients, Our Business Could be Adversely Affected. The healthcare business is highly competitive. We encounter competition in three separate areas: competition for joint venture development of practice-based centers, competition with other companies for acquisition of existing centers, and competition with other providers for patients and for contracting

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with managed care payors in each of our markets. There are several large, publicly held companies, or divisions or subsidiaries of large publicly held companies, and several private companies that develop freestanding multi-specialty surgery centers, and these companies may compete with us in the development of centers. Further, many physician groups develop surgery centers without a corporate partner, utilizing consultants who typically perform these services for a fee and who do not take an equity interest in the ongoing operations of the center. There are several companies, many in niche markets, that acquire existing practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. In addition, other healthcare providers, including hospitals, compete for patients and contracts with managed care payors in our markets. Many of these competitors have greater financial, research, marketing and staff resources than we do. In addition, these competitors may have or may develop new technologies or services that are attractive to patients. We can give you no assurances that we can compete effectively in any of these areas.

Industry Overview

For many years, government programs, private insurance companies, managed care organizations and self-insured employers have implemented various cost-containment measures to limit the growth of healthcare expenditures. These cost-containment measures, together with technological advances, have resulted in a significant shift in the delivery of healthcare services away from traditional inpatient hospitals to more cost-effective sites, including ambulatory surgery centers.

According to Verispan’s Freestanding Outpatient Surgery Center Market Report (2003 Edition), the number of freestanding outpatient surgery centers in the U.S. grew 50% since 1996 to approximately 3,646 by February 2003. We believe that approximately 1,000 of these surgery centers are single-specialty centers. The number of outpatient surgical cases performed in freestanding surgery centers increased 81% from 4.3 million in 1996 to 7.8 million in 2002.

We believe that the following factors have contributed to the growth of ambulatory surgery:

Cost-Effective Alternative. Ambulatory surgery is generally less expensive than hospital inpatient surgery. We believe that surgery performed at a practice-based ambulatory surgery center is generally less expensive than hospital-based ambulatory surgery for a number of reasons, including lower facility development costs, more efficient staffing and space utilization and a specialized operating environment focused on cost containment. Interest in ambulatory surgery centers has grown as managed care organizations have continued to seek a cost-effective alternative to inpatient services.

Physician and Patient Preference. We believe that many physicians prefer practice-based ambulatory surgery centers because these centers enhance physicians’ productivity by providing them with greater scheduling flexibility, more consistent nurse staffing and faster turnaround time between cases, allowing them to perform more surgeries in a defined period of time. In contrast, hospitals and freestanding multi-specialty ambulatory surgery centers generally serve a broader group of physicians, including those involved with emergency procedures, resulting in postponed or delayed surgeries. Additionally, many physicians choose to perform surgery in a practice-based ambulatory surgery center because their patients prefer the simplified admissions and discharge procedures and the less institutional atmosphere.

New Technology. New technology and advances in anesthesia, which have been increasingly accepted by physicians, have significantly expanded the types of surgical procedures that are being performed in ambulatory surgery centers. Lasers, enhanced endoscopic techniques and fiber optics have reduced the trauma and recovery time associated with many surgical procedures. Improved anesthesia has shortened recovery time by minimizing post-operative side effects such as nausea and drowsiness, thereby avoiding, in some cases, overnight hospitalization.

Strategy

We believe we are a leader in the development, acquisition and operation of practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. The key components of our strategy are to:

	•		develop, in partnership with physicians, new practice-based ambulatory surgery centers;
	•		selectively acquire practice-based ambulatory surgery centers with substantial minority physician ownership; and
	•		grow revenues and profitability of our existing surgery centers.

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Development and Acquisition of Surgery Centers

Our practice-based ambulatory surgery centers are licensed outpatient surgery centers generally equipped and staffed for a single medical specialty and are typically located in or adjacent to a physician group practice. We have targeted ownership in centers that perform gastrointestinal endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopedics and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) procedures. We target these medical specialties because they generally involve a high volume of lower-risk procedures that can be performed in an outpatient setting on a safe and cost-effective basis. The focus at each center on a single specialty results in significantly lower capital and operating costs than the costs of hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers that must be designed to provide more intensive services for a broader array of surgical specialties. In addition, the practice-based surgery center, which is located in or adjacent to the group practice, typically provides a more convenient setting for the patient and for the physician performing the procedure. We anticipate that improvements in technology will continue to enable additional types of procedures to be performed in the practice-based setting.

Our development staff identifies existing centers that are potential acquisition candidates and identifies physician practices that are potential partners for new center development in the medical specialties which we have targeted. These candidates are then evaluated against our project criteria, which include the quality of the physicians and their growth opportunities in their market, the number of procedures currently being performed by the practice, competition from and the fees being charged by other surgical providers, relative competitive market position of the physician practice under consideration, ability to contract with payors in the market and state Certification of Need, or CON, requirements for the development of a new center.

In presenting the advantages to physicians of developing a new practice-based ambulatory surgery center in partnership with us, our development staff emphasizes the proximity of a practice-based surgery center to a physician’s office, the simplified administrative procedures, the ability to schedule consecutive cases without preemption by inpatient or emergency procedures, the rapid turnaround time between cases, the high technical competency of the center’s clinical staff that performs only a limited number of specialized procedures and state-of-the-art surgical equipment. We also focus on our expertise in developing and operating centers. In addition, as part of our role as the general partner or manager of the surgery center limited partnerships and limited liability companies, we market the centers to third-party payors.

In a development project, we provide, among other things, the following services:

	•		financial feasibility pro forma analysis;
	•		assistance in state CON approval process, if needed;
	•		site selection;
	•		assistance in space analysis and schematic floor plan design;
	•		analysis of local, state and federal building codes;
	•		financing for equipment and buildout;
	•		equipment budgeting, specification, bidding and purchasing;
	•		construction financing;
	•		architectural oversight;
	•		contractor bidding;
	•		construction management; and
	•		assistance with licensing, Medicare certification and contracting with third-party payors.

We begin our acquisition process with a due diligence review of the targeted center and its market. We use experienced teams of operations and financial personnel to conduct a thorough review of all aspects of the center’s operations including the following:

	•		market position of the center and the physicians affiliated with the center;
	•		payor and case mix;
	•		growth opportunities;
	•		staffing and supply review; and
	•		equipment assessment.

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Our ownership interests in practice-based ambulatory surgery centers generally are structured through limited partnerships or limited liability companies. We generally own 51% of the limited partnerships or limited liability companies and act as the general partner in each limited partnership and the chief manager in each limited liability company. In development transactions, capital contributed by the physicians and AmSurg plus bank financing provides the limited partnership or limited liability company with the funds necessary to construct and equip a new surgery center and to provide initial working capital.

Growth in Revenues at Existing Facilities

We grow revenues in our existing facilities primarily through growth in procedure volume. This procedure volume growth is achieved in various ways, including:

	•		growth in the number of physicians performing procedures at our centers;
	•		obtaining new or more favorable managed care contracts for our centers;
	•		promoting screening programs and implementing other methods to increase patient and physician awareness of our centers; and
	•		achieving efficiency in center operations.

Ninety percent of our centers specialize in gastroenterology or ophthalmology procedures. These specialties have a higher concentration of older patients than other specialties, such as orthopedic or enterology. We believe the aging demographics of the U.S. population will be a source of procedure growth for these specialties.

As part of each development and acquisition transaction, we enter into a limited partnership agreement or, in the case of a limited liability company, an operating agreement with our physician group partner. Under these agreements, we receive a percentage of the net income and cash distributions of the entity equal to our percentage ownership interest in the entity and have the right to the same percentage of the proceeds of a sale or liquidation of the entity. In the limited partnership structure, as the sole general partner, we are generally liable for the debts of the limited partnership. However, the limited partnership agreement requires the physician partners to guarantee their pro rata share of any indebtedness or lease agreements to which the limited partnership is a party in proportion to their ownership interest in the limited partnership.

These agreements provide that we will oversee the business office, marketing, financial reporting, accreditation and administrative operations of the surgery center and that the physician group partner will provide the center with a medical director and performance improvement chairman and may provide certain other specified services such as billing and collections, transcription and accounts payable processing.

In addition, these agreements may provide that the limited partnership or limited liability company will lease certain non-physician personnel from the physician practice, who will provide services at the center. The cost of the salary and benefits of these personnel are reimbursed to the practice by the limited partnership or limited liability company. Certain significant aspects of the limited partnership’s or limited liability company’s governance are overseen by an operating board, which is comprised of equal representation by AmSurg and our physician partners. Because the physicians continue to have a minority ownership interest in the center, we work closely with the physicians throughout the process to increase the likelihood of a successful partnership with them in the surgery centers.

The limited partnership and operating agreements provide that, if certain regulatory changes take place, we will be obligated to purchase some or all of the minority interests of the physicians affiliated with us in the limited partnerships or limited liability companies that own and operate our surgery centers. The regulatory changes that could trigger such an obligation include changes that: (i) make the referral of Medicare and other patients to our surgery centers by physicians affiliated with us illegal; (ii) create the substantial likelihood that cash distributions from the limited partnership or limited liability company to the affiliated physicians will be illegal; or (iii) cause the ownership by the physicians of interests in the limited partnerships or limited liability companies to be illegal. There can be no assurance that our existing capital resources would be sufficient for us to meet the obligation, if it arises, to purchase these minority interests held by physicians. The determination of whether a triggering event has occurred generally is made by the concurrence of counsel for AmSurg and counsel for the physician partners or, in the absence of such concurrence, by independent counsel having an expertise in healthcare law and whom both parties choose. Such determination is therefore not within our control. While we have structured the purchase obligations to be as favorable

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as possible to us, the triggering of these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “- Government Regulation.”

Surgery Center Operations

We generally design, build, staff and equip each of our facilities to meet the specific needs of a single specialty physician practice group. The size of our typical ambulatory surgery center is approximately 3,000 to 4,500 square feet, and the center is located adjacent to or in close proximity to the specialty physicians’ offices. Each center developed by us typically has two to three operating or procedure rooms with areas for reception, preparation, recovery and administration. Each surgery center is specifically tailored to meet the needs of its related physician practice and typically performs 3,000 to 6,000 procedures per year. Our cost of developing a typical surgery center ranges from $1.2 to $1.7 million. Constructing, equipping and licensing a surgery center generally takes 12 to 15 months. As of December 31, 2003, 66 centers perform gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures, 41 centers perform ophthalmology surgery procedures, four centers perform orthopedic procedures and five centers perform procedures in more than one specialty. The procedures performed at our centers generally do not require an extended recovery period. Our centers are staffed with approximately 10 to 15 clinical professionals and administrative personnel, some of whom may be shared with the physician practice group. The clinical staff includes nurses and surgical technicians.

The types of procedures performed at each center depend on the specialty of the practicing physicians. The procedures most commonly performed or to be performed at AmSurg surgery centers in operation or under development within each specialty are:

	•		gastroenterology – colonoscopy and other endoscopy procedures;
	•		ophthalmology – cataracts and retinal laser surgery;
	•		orthopedics – knee arthroscopy and carpal tunnel repair; and
	•		otolaryngology – myringotomy (ear tubes) and tonsillectomy.

We market our surgery centers directly to third-party payors, including health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, preferred provider organizations, or PPOs, other managed care organizations and employers. Payor-group marketing activities conducted by AmSurg management and center administrators emphasize the high quality of care, cost advantages and convenience of our surgery centers and are focused on making each center an approved provider under local managed care plans.

Accreditation

Many managed care organizations will only contract with a facility that is accredited by either Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, or Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, or AAAHC. In these markets, we generally seek and obtain these accreditations. Currently, 68% of our surgery centers are accredited by JCAHO or AAAHC, and four surgery centers are scheduled for initial accreditation surveys during 2004. All of the accredited centers have received three-year certifications.

Surgery Center Locations

The following table sets forth certain information relating to surgery centers in operation as of December 31, 2003:

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