Author: Patsy Newitt

Anesthesia providers are caught between rising compensation expectations and a payer environment that keeps narrowing what they can collect. For ASCs, the math is getting harder to ignore. Here are 10 numbers illustrating the crisis: $20.44. The CMS anesthesia conversion…

In 2022, Ascension ran 139 hospitals and was losing nearly $2 billion a year. By June 2026, it operated 90 hospitals and more than 300 ASCs.  The $3.9 billion acquisition of AmSurg was the final move in a significant strategic…

A recent 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling clarified how federal prosecutors are able to charge physicians and executives for false statements in healthcare fraud cases, according to a blog post from law firm Armstrong Bradylyons.  The case involved an…

HST Pathways, a cloud-based software provider for ASCs, has secured a strategic growth investment from Novo Holdings, joining existing investors Bain Capital and Nexxus Holdings, according to a June 5 news release. The investment will support the acceleration of HST’s…

Jon Van Valkenburg has been appointed as the first representative of freestanding ASCs on the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council, according to a June 8 news release from the New York State Association of Ambulatory Surgery…

The Erlanger Health System Stark law case is in active litigation, and the compliance implications for physician groups, health systems and ASCs are significant.  Here is where things stand and why it matters. The background Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System…

With no certificate-of-need law, a fast-growing population and a regulatory environment that has historically favored outpatient development, Texas is one of the most active ASC markets in the country Here is where things stand. 1. Texas is a free-market ASC…

A former chiropractic clinic chain executive has pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return related to an illegal tax shelter used to conceal nearly $1.3 million in taxes, the Justice Department said in a June 5 news release. Stuart…

The federal government’s proposed expansion of a major joint replacement payment model could open the door for certified registered nurse anesthetists to qualify for better Medicare reimbursement. Under the proposed FY 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule, CMS would expand…

Eight months after UnitedHealthcare cut certified registered nurse anesthetist reimbursement by 15%, the financial burden unleashed on ASCs is still building.  The UHC cut applies to QZ-billed CRNA services in selected states and eliminates payments tied to several add-on and…