Author: Francesca Mathewes

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…

Hospitals and health systems are increasingly investing in ASCs not only as a method for expanding surgical volumes, but as a key element of system affordability. “We think about affordability not just being something that we state, but something that…

The anesthesia workforce shortage has become a fixture in healthcare at large as hospitals, health systems and ASCs figure out how to balance high surgical demand with a lack of providers. Three leaders in anesthesia recently joined Becker’s to share…

Here are 10 ASC projects that were announced or completed in January, as reported by Becker’s: 1. Orange, Calif.-based UCI Health opened an outpatient ophthalmology center in Brea, Calif.  2. Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare opened a new ASC in…

A partial government shutdown began Jan. 31 after Congress missed a midnight Jan. 30 deadline to approve a revised funding package. Here are five things to know about the shutdown: 1. While the Senate voted 71-29 late Jan. 30 to…

2025 saw more than 367 physician practice transactions in the first three quarters alone, demonstrating a continued trend toward an increasingly consolidated physician practice space.  Two leaders in the physician practice space recently joined Becker’s to discuss what their visions…