Optum is on track to meet its growth goals in 2021, executives said during the first-quarter earnings call April 15.

One Medical Passport, an online patient preadmission system used by ASCs nationally, announced the creation of its ASC Leader Advisory Board. 

There are four bills proposed in the North Carolina legislature to change the state's certificate-of-need laws — one proposing drastic changes to how ASCs are subject to CON review.

Like many small businesses, ASCs took financial hits at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many centers, relief from stimulus packages helped them stay afloat and return to normal volumes by summertime.

Financial decline and contract expiration were two reasons for ASC closures in the first quarter of 2021.

The Florida legislature passed a law March 29 to provide legal shields for healthcare providers, including ASCs, against COVID-19 liability claims, the National Law Review reported April 9.

Leapfrog Group and AARP are currently advocating for Congress to pass a policy requiring ASCs to report their COVID-19 infection rates on an ongoing basis. 

When hospitals began canceling and postponing elective surgeries to focus on COVID-19 patients in early 2020, many surgery centers limited capacity or temporarily closed their doors to keep patients safe and redirect resources to the hospital.

The federal government has charged a Colorado physician with misappropriating thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds from his practice for personal use.

A South Carolina physician and members of his family died from gunshot wounds April 7, according to a report from WCNC Charlotte, an NBC affiliate.

The Trump administration championed competition in healthcare that benefited ASCs and accelerated the migration of more procedures from hospitals to surgery centers. Will the current administration continue these efforts and support physician ownership?

Severe cases of COVID-19, including long-term symptoms, had Lisa Weindel, administrator at St. Louis-based Center for Urologic Surgery, reassessing patient risk. The pandemic also caused her center to take a less budget-friendly approach to supply chain management.

In 2019, ASCs that were certified by Medicare treated 3.5 million beneficiaries. The data in this list comes from the MedPAC 2021 Report to Congress, Avanza and VMG Health Intellimarker.

The pandemic put a strain on the supply chain for ASCs, and COVID-19 has left some patients with lingering, long-term effects. For physicians, that means thinking about patient volume and future supply chain strategy.

ASC developments in March sprung up from conversions of malls in Illinois to converted restaurants in New York. 

HST Pathways, a cloud-based software for surgical centers, partnered with healthcare payment company Waystar.

A California surgeon's medical practice and ASCs received about $147 million in government funds meant for facilities treating uninsured COVID-19 patients, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Tech industry giants are finding new ways to integrate into the healthcare industry by providing direct patient care, disrupting the traditional supply chain and more.

An Iowa physician filed a lawsuit against Mitchell County Regional Health Center, claiming wrongful termination and breach of contract, according to a report from the Globe Gazette.

Santa Rosa-based Northern California Medical Associates plans to close May 1 and lay off 26 physicians.