Forbes has named the 25 most philanthropic billionaires of 2024, with the year's 34 healthcare billionaires notably missing from the list. 

Hill Physicians Medical Group is the largest active physician group in the country, with 2,258 locations, according to a Jan. 5 report from healthcare analytics company Definitive Healthcare.

A California physician was convicted for his role in a scheme that defrauded Medicare of more than $2.8 million. 

There are 126,634 active physician assistants in the country, according to January data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

There are 338,899 actively practicing physician groups in the U.S., according to a Jan. 5 report from healthcare intelligence company Definitive Healthcare.

Martin Evers, MD, a former physician in Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for unlawfully prescribing oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone to three patients, including one woman who died as a result of using the drugs.

In wake of CMS' finalized physician fee schedule, which cut physician pay by 3.4% compared to last year despite rising inflation and practice costs, some practices and physicians made the decision to drop Medicare patients. 

Plastic and orthopedic surgeons consistently place as the top earners of the ASC specialties, according to Medscape compensation reports. 

The volume of ASCs in Massachusetts is well below the national average, according to a Feb. 15 report from local news station WWLP based on data shared with state health regulators. 

Higher-acuity procedures are moving out of hospitals and into ASCs, according to a Feb. 13 article from VMG Health.

Today, nearly two-thirds of American hospitals and a substantial number of ASCs nationwide are owned by large health systems. 

Around 33% of hospitalists are feeling burned out in 2024, down from 36% in 2023, according to Medscape's 2024 "Hospitalist Burnout and Depression Report," published Feb. 16. 

Here are three kickback schemes where physicians settled or pleaded guilty that Becker's has reported on since Jan. 30:

ASCs have several pros for both patients and physicians, including more buy-in opportunities, more physician autonomy and lower cost of care. As the popularity and prevalence of ASCs continues to expand year over year, the facilities hold the upper hand in some cases, while falling short in others. 

Employers in West Virginia are struggling the most with hiring compared to other states, according to personal finance site WalletHub.

A federal court has dismissed a complaint filed by an Ohio physician, who alleged that physician group Alliance Physicians failed to heed his warnings regarding patient safety concerns, resulting in intolerable working conditions that forced him to resign, according to documents filed Feb. 12 with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

More than 50% of physicians would be willing to take less pay in exchange for better work-life balance, according to Medscape's "Physician Lifestyle and Happiness Report 2024," published Feb. 13.

Healthcare is the industry seeking the most new workers in 2024, with 335,017 open job listings posted nationally, according to a new study from law firm Schmidt & Clark, which analyzed over 2.3 million job listings posted to Indeed over the last 14 days. 

In 2024, 34 billionaires who made their wealth in the healthcare industry were featured on Forbes' annual list of the richest people in the world.

As hospitals face soaring supply and labor costs and labor shortages, some are forced to shutter services.