CMS' policies have the power to turn the tide of the surgery center industry. Here is how those policies have both helped and hurt ASCs in 2023.

Although the mean annual wage among healthcare administrators is $122,420, that can vary based on factors including experience and practice setting, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment statistics survey.

Here are five payer updates Becker's has reported on since June 12: 

Here are three notes pointing to payers pushing procedures to ASCs:

Here are six prior authorization stories Becker's has reported on since May 11:

UnitedHealthcare’s 2023 site-of-service policy, which went into effect April 1, could push procedures to the ASC setting. 

Payers are continuing to look at ASCs as a way to cut costs, leaders said at a March 22 California Ambulatory Surgery Association summit with payers and industry stakeholders. 

While the ASC industry as a whole has opportunity for growth, Raghu Reddy, chief administrative officer of Cumberland-based SurgCenter of Western Maryland, is concerned about the lack of accountability for payers. 

The growing number of ASCs that choose to outsource their billing have options. ASC billing companies usually offer similar services and promise similar results like endto-end revenue cycle management, strengthened bottom-line performance and increased efficiency. These are all important deliverables for an ASC billing company and should be on the list of what a surgery center expects as the bare minimum when choosing a billing partner.

The U.S. sued a plastic surgeon formerly of Tri-State Specialists in Sioux City, Iowa, for violating the False Claims Act.

ASC reimbursements in many markets are not keeping up with the rising cost of inflation and general costs of living. 

National Medical Billing Services rebranded to nimble solutions to align with its core values of agility, innovation and client-centricity.

Washington offers physician assistants the highest hourly mean wage, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment statistics survey.

Matt Mazurek, MD, assistant clinical professor of anesthesiology and director of quality and safety at St. Raphael's Campus of Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital, joined Becker's to discuss physicians' biggest reimbursement issues. 

CMS has issued a final rule to help streamline Medicare Advantage and Part D prior authorizations. 

CMS policies are stifling the migration of procedures to the outpatient setting, Bill Prentice, CEO of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, said at a California Ambulatory Surgery Association summit with payers and industry stakeholders. 

Some healthcare leaders say the No Surprises Act, aimed to protect patients against balance billing and create cost transparency, has accelerated reimbursement issues. 

Physicians in the U.S. make $121.15 an hour on average, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment statistics survey.

Bridgeport, Conn.-based physician group Northeast Medical Group and Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health Services will pay $560,718 to resolve allegations they submitted false claims to Medicare. 

The largest whistleblower award ever was granted in early May, more than doubling the previous record.