Author: Patsy Newitt

Prior authorization is one of the biggest issues facing ASCs and physicians — delaying care and increasing administrative burdens. 

Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, is the largest employer of physicians. 

Fifty-one ASCs in Texas made Newsweek's "America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers" list, which ranks 550 of the more than 5,000 Medicare-certified ASCs in the country.

Gastro Health, GI Alliance, PE GI Solutions, One GI and United Digestive are five of the largest private equity-backed gastroenterology megagroups in the country.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare reported a 37.4 percent jump in outpatient revenue in the third quarter while its operating income was down 4.1 percent from the previous year. 

Physicians are increasingly moving to employed models – from 2019 to 2021, more than 108,700 physicians left private practice for employment opportunities, according to a report from Avalere. 

New York pain management specialist Duane Dixon, MD, pleaded guilty to unlawful opioid distribution and healthcare fraud, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported Oct. 23.

Cheri Smith, RN, administrator of Fort Myers (Fla.) Endoscopy Center, joined Becker's to discuss why increasing regulations will hurt the ASC industry. 

ASCs have long struggled to secure adequate reimbursements. 

Sixty-four percent of physicians do not take on extra work to supplement their income, according to Medscape's 2023 Female Compensation Report.