ASC News

The Essentia Health Surgery Center-Miller Hill in Duluth, Minn., reopened March 22 after being closed due to a partial roof collapse at Miller Hill Mall caused by heavy snowfall.

Over the last decade, the popularity of ASCs has been growing among surgeons, payers and patients. As the healthcare sector shifts to value-based care, ASCs are well-positioned thanks to their focus on efficiency, patient safety and reduced costs.

As of 2022, 70 percent of ASCs were independent, but the industry is slowly consolidating.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care has named the 2022-2023 winners of its annual Bernard A. Kershner Innovations in Quality Improvement Award, according to a March 21 press release sent to Becker's. 

United Surgical Partners International became the largest ASC chain in the U.S. in 2022.

The value of healthcare private equity deals in 2021 was 378 percent higher than that of 2012, and many executives say that trend is here to stay. 

Here's how five of the biggest ASC chains in the U.S. stack up when comparing the number of physicians, states and locations in their network.

Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare is aiming to expand its ASC presence throughout the state but is facing setbacks from competitors and regulators, according to a March 20 report from the Hartford Business Journal. 

Lawmakers in Oklahoma are pushing for a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to prescribe certain medications without a supervising physician, KXII reported March 15. 

Meridian, Miss.-based physician Gregory Auzenne, MD, pleaded guilty to a federal charge in connection with a $1.5 billion nationwide pain cream fraud scheme, the Clarion Ledger reported March 20.