Here are the most-read stories on Becker's ASC Review the week of Aug. 3-7:

Provider consolidation into vertically integrated health systems increased "substantially" from 2016 to 2018, while horizontal consolidation of hospitals and health systems "grew modestly," according to an August 2020 study published in Health Affairs.

Various reports indicate that physician adoption of telemedicine has boomed over the course of just the past few months, with virtual healthcare interactions set to surpass 1 billion by the end of the year. Similarly, in 2019 just 8% of patients surveyed had sought care via telemedicine, but as of April 2020, that number had increased to over 50%. (Source: Doctor.com CX Trends 2020 and Telemedicine Adoption in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond)

United Surgical Partners reported 29.8 percent drop in second quarter revenue amid the pandemic, but the average monthly cases are resuming.

What ASC leaders should know about the pandemic's effect on industry growth, finances and more:

Here are the most-read stories on Becker's ASC Review the week of July 27-31:

The ASC market is continuing to grow and has room for further consolidation, according to the 2020 VMG Health Healthcare M&A Report.

Holston Medical Group shut down its last practice in North Carolina, according to a Charlotte Busines Journal report. 

Bakersfield, Calif.-based Bahamas Surgery Center must vacate its portion of a $24 million class-action lawsuit ruling against surgical gown maker Halyard Health, Law360 reports.

Several hospitals and surgery centers in Pueblo, Colo., have struggled to recover from COVID-19-related shutdowns, the AG Journal reports.

Here are the most-read stories on Becker's ASC Review the week of July 20-24:

Sewickley, Pa.-based Premier Women's Health is building a second office, but is in the process of transitioning all outpatient surgeries into the Wexford (Pa.) Health + Wellness Pavilion's ASC, TribLive reports.

Omaha, Neb.-based CHI Health hospitals are no longer requiring patients to be tested for COVID-19 before undergoing a surgery because of limited testing supplies, Live Well Nebraska reports.

McKinsey & Co. released the "Physician employment: The path forward in the COVID-19 era" report, which examines responses from physicians about their private practice six weeks into the pandemic. 

The Small Business Administration released information on businesses that received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program.

MercyOne and Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, and UnityPoint Health in West Des Moines, Iowa, reintroduced visitor restrictions at their area hospitals following surging COVID-19 activity, the Des Moines Register reports.

Four things for ASC leaders to know about COVID-19 testing:

Montefiore Mount Vernon (N.Y.) Hospital applied for a certificate of need to close later this year, but hospital workers and local politicians are rallying to keep the hospital open, Iohud and the Daily Voice report.

El Paso, Texas-based Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare suspended its non-emergency and outpatient surgery programs July 13 to free up beds and staffing to accommodate COVID-19 patients, KFox14 reports.

Here are the most-read stories on Becker's ASC Review the week of July 13-17: