Patsy Newitt

Retail giant Amazon continues to expand into healthcare, emerging as a significant disruptor in the industry and a key player to watch.

ASCs are facing rising challenges with Medicare Advantage plans, including escalating implant costs, frequent reimbursement denials and increasing administrative hurdles that complicate patient care and financial stability.

Thirty six percent of physicians above the age of 46 experienced a pay cut in the last year, according to a recent Physicians Foundation survey. 

Five ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss the future of ASCs. 

From site-neutral payment reform to consolidation, four ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss the market trends shaping the ASC industry. 

OptumCare, based in Basking Ridge, N.J., is set to lay off 160 employees, according to a WARN notice posted on the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development website. 

Hospitals continue to look to ASCs for growth opportunities as they face mounting financial pressures and struggle to maintain operating margins."

As physicians and ASCs face increasing obstacles in securing reimbursements from insurance companies, many are looking to direct-pay or cash models to cut out the need for payers. 

Employed physicians have reported higher levels of burnout, anger and anxiety compared to independent physicians, according to a recent Physicians Foundation survey. 

Here are five controversies involving ASC closures, lawsuits or false claims allegations that Becker's has reported on since Aug. 23: