ASC News

Healthcare providers across the U.S., including surgery centers, must once again require employees to be fully vaccinated or obtain an exemption after the Supreme Court upheld CMS' COVID-19 vaccination mandate for eligible healthcare workers.

MedPAC voted Jan. 13 against recommending to raise Medicare physician payments for 2023, according to an opposition letter from the president of American Medical Association, Gerald Harmon, MD. 

Eight COVID-19 updates from the last week:

Six New Jersey surgery centers and medical offices affiliated with the Interventional Pain Management Center, owned by Amit Poonia, MD, have agreed to pay $7.4 million to resolve fraud allegations. 

Here are seven updates from the federal government since Jan. 1:

As another COVID-19 variant surges across the country, here are hospitals and health systems that have delayed nonurgent surgeries in the last week because of strained capacity:

Walter Stynik, DO, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his former employer.

San Antonio, Texas-based Lawton Plastic Surgery is now accepting cryptocurrency for cosmetic procedures, the ASC said Jan. 10. 

University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center has temporarily shut down its Strong West Surgical Center in Brockport, N.Y., as staffing shortages and COVID-19 capacity skyrocket, local ABC affiliate WHAM reported Jan. 7. 

Healthcare workers across the U.S. are being asked to return to work after testing positive for COVID-19 if they are asymptomatic.