ASC News

Florida continues to be a hot spot for ASC growth, particularly for orthopedics, as the state's tax-friendly nature and aging population lure in more physicians and investors.

Physicians faced a Medicare pay cut next year of about 9 percent before President Joe Biden signed a bill Dec. 10 temporarily averting the cuts.

This year resulted in a number of accomplishments for some of the largest ASC companies, including United Surgical Partners International, SurgCenter Development, Surgery Partners and Surgical Care Affiliates.

Acquisitions of healthcare real estate such as ASCs and medical office buildings are on the rise again after a brief lull at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Leapfrog Group, a quality and patient safety watchdog, assessed ASCs for quality standards across performance indicators including staffing, patient experience, hand hygiene, surgical checklist protocols and error prevention.

Hospitals nationwide are again delaying nonurgent surgeries amid rising COVID-19 cases and the global spread of the omicron variant. 

Physician Partners of America will add a spinal cord stimulation system to its offices to help patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, the pain management practice said Dec. 9.

At least five states have set COVID-19 records in the last week. Here are seven more COVID-19 updates:

Although New York and Florida share similar populations — 20.2 million residents and 21.5 million residents, respectively — the two states have vastly different healthcare landscapes.

Texas outranks California in number of new ASCs, hospitals and average physician compensation, while California boasts the most ASCs and physicians overall.