Simple Admit will now offer Bankers Healthcare Group's patient financing program through Simple Pay, a patient relationship management platform designed for surgery centers, The Virginian-Pilot reports.  By Angie Stewart - 9/26/18

Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway signed a December 14, 2015 Declaratory Ruling of the North Carolina Industrial Commission order Sept. 18 affirming a reform to align workers' compensation medical costs with the national average, Workerscompensation.com reported.  By Rachel Popa - 9/25/18

It's become clear that the payment shift is not a short-term phenomenon, and patients are likely to continue being directly accountable for a significant portion of healthcare costs. One recent study projected out-of-pocket spending on healthcare expenses will surge to $608 billion by 2019, an increase of 46 percent in just five years (up from $416 billion in 2014).1 The causes for this increase are numerous and complicated, including rising enrollment in high-deductible healthcare plans; increasing premiums, deductibles and overall healthcare spending; and even demographic and societal factors like an aging population, rising obesity rates and the opioid epidemic.  By By Dave Fasoli, Synchrony EVP and CareCredit CEO - 9/25/18

Outpatient coders achieved higher average accuracy scores for the second consecutive year in Central Learning's nationwide ICD-10 coding contest.  By Angie Stewart - 9/24/18

Georgia legislators are discussing the state's certificate-of-need laws preceding a possible reform attempt, and a wealth of proponents and opponents are making their voices heard, The Georgia Sun reports.  By Eric Oliver - 9/21/18

Hershey, Pa.-based Penn State Health and Humana signed an agreement giving Humana Medicare Advantage members coverage at Penn State Health facilities, including Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center.  By Angie Stewart - 9/21/18

Outpatient care made up a greater portion of rising healthcare spending over the past decade, according to a Health Care Cost Institute analysis, AJMC reports.  By Angie Stewart - 9/20/18

Carevoyance compiled a list of unusual ICD-10 codes to highlight the level of specificity ASCs, hospitals and medical practices must capture, according to Chief Commercial Officer Katie Vahle.  By Angie Stewart - 9/20/18

It's never been easy to be a surgical patient. First, there's the anxiety related to undergoing a procedure. Even for routine, outpatient surgical care, there are always safety risks. Then, there are all the other stressful — and sometimes uncomfortable — issues tied to surgery, such as preparation, post-operative side effects, physical therapy and follow-up care, coordinating transportation to and from the facility, taking time off work and arranging for support at home.  By Randy Bishop, Partner, Surgical Funds - 9/19/18

Provation launched Provation Apex, a cloud-based procedure documentation software platform designed to improve outcomes, enhance clinical productivity and increase physician satisfaction in ASCs and hospitals.  By Angie Stewart - 9/19/18

Here are four billing and coding updates with the potential to impact ASC reimbursement:  By Angie Stewart - 9/18/18

A series of healthcare stakeholders said insufficient EHR interoperability is one of the major barriers to value-based care adoption, HealthData Management reports.  By Eric Oliver - 9/18/18

CMS proposed eliminating "unnecessary, obsolete or excessively burdensome" Medicare regulations for ASCs and other healthcare facilities.  By Angie Stewart - 9/17/18

Boston-based Partners Healthcare and Boston-based Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary agreed to pay the state $175,000 to settle alleged Massachusetts consumer protection law violations.  By Eric Oliver - 9/14/18

Interventional radiology ASCs have more ways than ever to collect for procedures, thanks to a surge in the number of billing codes supporting these facilities, according to Mark F. Weiss and Cecilia Kronawitter.  By Angie Stewart - 9/14/18

The Dialysis Vascular Access Coalition is urging Congress to block CMS' proposed cuts to reimbursement for vascular access services, saying the proposal threatens access to care for end-stage renal disease patients.  By Angie Stewart - 9/13/18

Crescent City, Calif.-based Sutter Coast Hospital will terminate its emergency room services provider contract with Nashville, Tenn.-based Envision Healthcare in 90 days, the Del Norte Triplicate reports.  By Angie Stewart - 9/12/18

Wauwatosa (Wis.) Surgery Center is partnering with Access HealthNet to increase patient volume and simplify revenue cycle collections.  By Angie Stewart - 9/11/18

In August, Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services paid $65 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by admitting patients who only required outpatient care and engaging in upcoding.   By Angie Stewart - 9/11/18

Alpharetta, Ga.-based Surgical Information Systems' Jho Outlaw, senior vice president of revenue cycle services, and Jessica Nelson, director of revenue cycle services shared their insights on the common obstacles that prevent an ASC being paid in a recent webinar. Surgical Information Systems summarized the questions Ms. Nelson and Ms.Outlaw were asked on their blog.  By Rachel Popa - 9/10/18