Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has announced a new effort to reduce prior authorization requirements by 20 percent in order to improve healthcare quality and access while reducing administrative tasks. 

Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System and its partner, Green Bay, Wis.-based physician group Prevea Health, said phone lines to many Wisconsin facilities, including HSHS' ASC, are back online after a cybersecurity incident at the system caused a communications outage that affected both organizations, according to a Sept. 6 report from ABC affiliate WBAY. 

Five ASC administrators joined Becker's to share their predictions on what the future holds for the outpatient surgery workforce.

Declining patient volumes and financial challenges are two major factors driving hospital closures this year. 

Legislation pending in the New Jersey legislature could significantly limit noncompetes, according to a Sept. 5 article from law firm Saiber. 

Mississippi has been named the state with the worst health system performance in 2023, according to data from The Commonwealth Fund.

Alice Schwartz, 97, is the U.S.' oldest billionaire who earned her fortune in healthcare, according to Forbes' live net worth tracker.

Massachusetts has been named the state with the best health system performance in 2023, according to data from The Commonwealth Fund.

Bridgeport, W.Va.-based physician Tracey Reilly, MD, has been charged with abusive sexual contact and simple assault, according to a Sept. 6 news release from the Justice Department. 

As COVID-19 cases rise, some hospitals and health systems are bringing back their mask mandates. 

Gastroenterology services provider Gastro Care Partners plans to implement ModMed's  gastroenterology-specific technology through its more than 45 providers across multiple ASCs and practices. 

Tower Clock Eye Center-Green Bay (Wis.) Surgery Center performed over 1 percent of all glaucoma procedures performed at U.S. ASCs in 2022, according to June 29 data from Definitive Healthcare. 

Out-of-pocket costs for colonoscopies remain high for patients, even in the ASC setting, with costs sometimes ranging between $1,250 and $4,800, according to data from Definitive Healthcare.

Here are two anesthesia legal battles in the headlines that Becker's has reported on since Sept. 5:  

This year, the Medical Society of the State of New York collaborated with state officials to defeat 15 pieces of legislation that would expand the scope of practice for nurse practitioners and physician assistants, allowing them to practice without physician supervision, according to a Sept. 6 report from the American Medical Association. 

A medical office building near Bridgeport Hospital Milford (Conn.) Campus has sold for nearly $1 million, according to a Sept. 5 report from Hartford Business. 

Chicago-based physician Benjamin Toh, MD, has been convicted for his role in a more than $9.5 million healthcare fraud scheme. 

San Antonio-based Wilford Hall Medical Center, which has stood vacant for several years, is being torn down in a two-year, $40 million project, according to a Sept. 5 report from San Antonio Express News. 

Healthgrades has named the top 100 hospitals for orthopedic surgery in 2023, including 25 hospitals in Florida. 

From repealing existing prior authorization requirements to adding new ones, here are four states tackling the prior authorization system this year.