How ambulatory surgery centers can leverage payers into mutually beneficial contracts was among the topics of discussion during a Q&A discussion at the Becker's ASC 25th Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs conference, which was held Oct. 18-20 in Chicago.  By Erin Marshall - 10/29/18

The Workers Compensation Research Institute CompScope study found New Jersey ASCs handled one-quarter of comp claims, workcompcentral.com reported.  By Rachel Popa - 10/26/18

The healthcare delivery model's shift toward value-based care from fee-for-service has raised important questions for ASC payment models.  By Jackie Drees - 10/26/18

It's important to understand why general surgery practices face denials, according to MedicalBillersandCoders.com, a consortium of medical billers and coders in the U.S.  By Angie Stewart - 10/26/18

Clinical Support Services created a value-based adherence program for health plans to stay on track with the proportion of days covered for fragile populations.  By Eric Oliver - 10/25/18

Physician practices are having trouble keeping up with increasingly complex and rapidly changing payment models, a joint study by RAND Corp. and the American Medical Association found.  By Angie Stewart - 10/24/18

Eye Centers of Florida, based in Fort Myers, plans to settle Medicare billing fraud allegations with a $525,000 payment, according to the Naples Daily News.  By Laura Dyrda - 10/24/18

With payers employing a variety of tactics to minimize reimbursement, the key to successful out-of-network negotiations is persistence, according to CollectRx Executive Vice President Richa Singh.  By Angie Stewart - 10/23/18

The concept of a single-payer healthcare system, Medicare for All, is finding support in an unlikely group: the Republican Party, according to The Hill.  By Eric Oliver - 10/23/18

Drawing on his three-plus decades of experience defending hospitals and physicians, Attorney Lee S. Goldsmith, MD, shared the common reasons behind medical malpractice suits in a Medscape article.  By Angie Stewart - 10/23/18

Former University City, Mo.-based physician Devon Golding, MD, was found guilty of conspiracy and four healthcare fraud charges Oct. 19, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.  By Angie Stewart - 10/22/18

For the last several years, ASCs — like nearly all healthcare providers — have witnessed firsthand a growing shift in the responsibility for payment of services from payers to consumers. This has created numerous obstacles for the delivery of surgical services, including the ability for patients to cover their expenses and surgery centers to collect what is owed to them for performing procedures.  By Randy Bishop, Partner, Surgical Funds - 10/22/18

CMS revised a chapter in the Medicare Program Integrity Manual, which details policies and procedures for Medicare Administrative Contractors and provides guidance for stakeholder engagement.  By Angie Stewart - 10/19/18

Designed to reduce the cost of high-volume, high-cost procedures within ASCs, bundled payments are expected to comprise 17 percent of all medical payment types by 2022, according to a new whitepaper by Westchester, Ill.-based Regent Surgical Health.  By Angie Stewart - 10/18/18

Mashiyat Rashid, the CEO of the West Bloomfield, Mich.-based Tri-County Wellness Group, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud, as well as one count of money laundering.  By Rachel Popa - 10/17/18

UnitedHealth Group paid $69 billion, or nearly half of its annual reimbursement, toward value-based care models through the third quarter of 2018, Forbes reports.  By Eric Oliver - 10/17/18

Network adequacy laws are designed to prevent patients from receiving out-of-network anesthesia care at in-network facilities — and receiving surprise bills as a result, according to Anesthesia Business Consultants President and CEO Tony Mira.  By Angie Stewart - 10/16/18

With CMS expecting to pay ASCs $4.89 billion in 2019, physicians should strongly consider surgery center ownership, according to Advisory Law Group's Mark F. Weiss.  By Angie Stewart - 10/16/18

Premier Surgical Pavilion sued Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey for allegedly using an improper formula to calculate reimbursements for benefits claims, Law360 reported.  By Rachel Popa - 10/15/18

Patients are more likely to pay their bills in full if they are satisfied with their business office experience, according to a Connance survey.  By Angie Stewart - 10/15/18