Author: Patsy Newitt

UnitedHealth Group's Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, is on a spending spree, scooping up physician groups and expanding its portfolio. 

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has inked a deal to acquire Geisinger Health and its more than 1,700 physicians. 

Boerne, Texas-based Catharina Hunter was sentenced to eight years in prison for practicing medicine without a license, local news station KSAT reported April 27. 

Cedar Grove, N.J.-based Muhammad Mirza, MD, pleaded guilty to defrauding Amtrak's health plan $1.4 million through submitting bills for procedures that were never performed or were not medically necessary, according to court documents. 

Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International is the largest ASC chain by both number of surgery centers and number of physicians. 

Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International is continuing to grow, with $340 million in adjusted earnings in the first quarter, according to an April 25 earnings call from Tenet, USPI's parent company, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha. 

Here are more than 100 statistics on physician pay, pulled from Doximity's 2023 "Physician Compensation Report" and Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report" for 2023.

Private equity has seen a huge growth opportunity in the ASC industry and the specialties the facilities offer, including gastroenterology and ophthalmology. 

Tenet Healthcare's ASC arm — Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International — is the largest ASC chain in the country by number of physicians. 

Definitive Healthcare released statistics on how many physicians work in U.S. hospitals in an April post.