Author: Francesca Mathewes

Kansas City University has welcomed its first class of students to its Master of Health Science in Anesthesiologist Assistant program at its Joplin, Mo., campus.  According to a Feb. 5 news release, the program’s inaugural class includes 24 students. The…

As the ASC industry continues to grow, ASCs have increasingly become sites of innovation and important points of access for surgical care.  Here are three notable ‘firsts’ in the ASC industry so far in 2026: 1. Ortho Rhode Island began…

Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System has agreed to pay more than $3.7 million to resolve allegations that it fraudulently billed government and commercial insurers for spine surgeries performed by a former neurosurgeon. What happened? What’s next?

Last year, CMS approved more than 500 procedures for the outpatient setting, representing a huge win for the leaders and physicians in the ASC industry who have advocated for an expanded ASC covered procedures list for years. The win came…

ASCs have shifted to the center of conversations around growth in hospitals, health systems and physician groups as they prove to be an efficient way to expand healthcare access and bring down costs. As large organizations look to quickly increase…

Shortages of anesthesiologists, certified-registered nurse anesthetists and other anesthesia providers have complicated surgical access over the last decade.  The shortage is generally understood to be a supply-and-demand issue, with surgical demand across the U.S. rising faster than the number of…

Here are seven hospitals and health systems that announced or conducted layoffs in January, as reported by Becker’s: 1. Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y., will lay off about 3% of its workforce and require unpaid, one-week furloughs for…

Payers’ implementation of time limits on anesthesia reimbursement has sparked controversy over the last several years, beginning in late 2024 when Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield proposed a policy that would impose time limits on anesthesia reimbursement in Missouri, New…

President Donald Trump has signed a House-approved funding package to end a partial government shutdown, CBS News reported Feb. 3.  The House passed the funding bill Feb. 3 by a 217-214 vote. The vote was largely party-line, yet Republicans and…

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare has acquired 13 urgent care clinics and six freestanding emergency departments as it continues its outpatient expansion.  HCA’s Dallas-based Medical City Healthcare said Feb. 2 that it has acquired 13 CommunityMed urgent care centers to serve…