ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

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.

Oakland County, Mich.-based podiatrist Kenneth Mitchell, DPM, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a $1.8 million healthcare fraud scheme wherein he billed Medicare under another physician's name, the U.S. Justice Department said May 4. 

ASCs in some areas of the country are experiencing an increase in publicly insured patients, changing the way they are able to meet margins. 

Chris Thomas, CEO of Colorado West Healthcare System in Grand Junction, joined Becker's to discuss how important it is to fight for reimbursements at ASCs and more.

Raghu Reddy, chief administrative officer of Cumberland-based SurgCenter of Western Maryland, joined Becker's to discuss the healthcare trends he's eyeing. 

Here are 10 major UnitedHealthcare deals in April that ASC leaders need to know: