Pay in 17 of 30 physician specialties failed to keep up with inflation in 2026, according to a Sept. 29 analysis from Marit Health. Consumer prices rose 3.4% in the 12 months ending in August, according to the Bureau of…
Patsy Newitt
A federal bill that would ban corporate control of physician practices has no grandfather clause. Private equity-backed platforms built on management services organizations could be forced to restructure, unwind or divest if it passes. The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians…
A year after executives said Optum Health had drifted from its original value-based care model, the smaller business is producing much larger profits, according to UnitedHealth Group’s Oct. 13 earnings release and call. Optum Health’s earnings from operations rose to…
Nearly 1 in 3 outpatient endoscopies at Cleveland Clinic’s academic center are canceled at the last minute or end as no-shows. Data from academic endoscopy units shows how to bring that number down. In a retrospective study of more than…
Harrisonburg, Va.-based Harrisonburg Family Practice has been acquired by Fishersville, Va.-based Augusta Health, according to an Oct. 15 news release. The seven-physician practice has served the Harrisonburg community for 50 years. It provides family medicine for patients of all ages,…
Advertisement
An ASC’s commercial reimbursement can change even when no one has reopened the contract, according to a payer-contracting consultant. At Becker’s Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference 2026 in June, Amy Colletti, a principal at ECG Management Consultants, said…
Most physicians who aren’t qualifying APM participants face a 1.68% cut to the Medicare conversion factor in 2027 under CMS’ proposed physician fee schedule. Some specialties face much steeper drops once coding and valuation changes are added in. The proposed…
Physician employers got two signals this year that seem to conflict. A federal appeals court said common pay practices aren’t evidence of fraud on their own. Six weeks earlier, HHS’ Office of Inspector General said a clean Stark law analysis…
A Niagara Falls, N.Y.-based ASC performs retina surgery two to three times a month and could do much more. “If we break even, it’s a miracle with retina,” Kimberly Fullone, administrator of Ambulatory Surgery Center of Niagara, told Becker’s. Ms.…
Shelly Harris, RN, administrator of Advanced Surgical Care Clearwater (Fla.), told Becker’s the boldest bet in ASC strategy right now is going after higher-acuity, higher-paying cases that can safely move out of the hospital. The opportunity keeps growing as the…