Author: Francesca Mathewes

Transparency is a healthcare buzzword used in a number of broad contexts, but frequently appears in discourse about the relationship among physicians, payers and patients. 

In June, Sam Tyagi, MD, a vascular surgeon of Lexington, Ky.-based UK HealthCare, treated the first patient in the state with the implantation of a first Gore Excluder thoracoabdominal branch endoprosthesis device to address an aortic aneurysm.

Here are five moves from payers that are making waves in the ASC space:

CMS recently finalized a 2.83% physician pay cut in its 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System. 

Ransomware attacks in the healthcare industry have increased in 2024, according to a SafetyDetectives "Healthcare Under Siege: Ransomware in 2024" report released Nov. 13. 

William Lipshutz, a Philadelphia gastroenterologist and former chief of gastroenterology at Pennsylvania Hospital, died Nov. 4 at 82, according to a Nov. 14 obituary published by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

ASCs have been under pressure as the anesthesia shortage persists and anesthesia providers become spread increasingly thin, sometimes resulting in tensions between providers and ASC leaders.

On Nov. 1, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans representing Connecticut, New York and Missouri announced changes to their evaluation process for claims for anesthesia services. 

Under the Biden administration, the Federal Trade Commission took strong anti-trust positions and boosted pro-worker policies, such as a ban on noncompete agreements. 

A former psychiatrist at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Hartford, Conn., is suing parent company Prospect Medical Holdings over alleged insurance fraud, CT Insider reported Nov. 13.