Author: Patsy Newitt

A recent study by Avalere, funded by the American Independent Medical Practice Association, laid out how practice affiliation affects the share of gastroenterologists' Medicare beneficiaries. 

Commercial and government payers alike are increasingly pushing patients to ASCs because of the cost-savings they can offer. 

The proportion of Medicare-billing independent gastroenterologists declined from 31% to 13% between 2019 and 2022, according to a recent study by Avalere that was funded by the American Independent Medical Practice Association. 

Brentwood, Tenn.-based ASC operator Surgery Partners could be the next "hot takeover" of the market, MarketBeat reported Sept. 25. 

Santa Clara (Calif.) County's board of supervisors has unanimously approved the appropriation of $315 million to purchase a hospital from HCA Healthcare, one of the country's largest ASC operators. 

Physicians could lose at least $25 billion in add-on payments for Part B drugs that could be part of the Inflation Reduction Act's program to negotiate drugs, according to a recent study by Avalere. 

U.S. Healthworks, a chain of occupational and urgent care clinics, has agreed to pay $7.7 million to settle allegations it knowingly withheld millions of dollars in unclaimed property from the state of California.

Martinsburg, W.Va.-based The Pain Center of West Virginia has agreed to pay $750,000 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare for amniotic fluid injections used in pain management.

Bellingham, Wash.-based Doherty Dermatology has been acquired by Frontier Dermatology.

Medicare expenditures in private equity-affiliated private practices were an average of 9.8% lower than for patients treated in hospital-affiliated practices in 2022, according to a recent study by Avalere and the American Independent Medical Practice Association.