Author: Patsy Newitt

Wellsville, N.Y., pediatrician Zahi Kassas, MD, will shutter his practice May 1, The Evening Tribune reported Feb. 2.  After more than 25 years serving the community, Dr. Kassas will transition into a more limited role focused on hospital-based pediatric services…

State lawmakers moved aggressively in 2025 to reshape the healthcare marketplace, enacting a wave of legislation aimed at tightening oversight of consolidation, limiting noncompete agreements, curbing private equity influence and revising certificate-of-need laws. Here are 37 enacted bills related to…

Beginning April 1, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said billing multiple anesthesia modifiers on the same date of service will no longer be appropriate, according to a notice poster on the insurance company’s website.  Under the update,…

Uplift Family Medicine permanently closed Jan. 31 after filing for bankruptcy, according to a notice posted on the practice’s website.  According to court filings, the Sherman, Texas-based practice filed for bankruptcy Jan. 31. The practice is no longer providing care,…

Boston physician Pankaj Merchia, MD, has been convicted on charges of healthcare fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and tax evasion, according to a Jan. 23 release from the Justice Department.  What happened?

Stark law’s in-office ancillary services exception is one of the most commonly used exceptions because it allows physician practices to provide certain designated health services in the office, such as labs, imaging and therapy, without violating the physician self-referral law,…

As hospitals and ASCs continue to grapple with clinician burnout and staffing shortages, anesthesia leaders are rethinking long-standing compensation and scheduling models.  Megan Friedman, DO, chair and medical director at Los Angeles-based Pacific Coast Anesthesia Consultants, joined Becker’s to discuss…

The paperwork burden of prior authorization keeps climbing, and for some ASCs, the only way through is to treat it like a daily fight.  Elisa Auguste, administrator at East Setauket, N.Y.-based Precision Care Surgery Center and vice president of the…

Rheumatologist Steven Mendelsohn, MD, agreed to pay $549,554 to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act, according to a Jan. 28 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. What happened?

From a fresh AI “front door” strategy to claims-integrity investing, CVS Health has spent the past few months signaling how it plans to grow. Here’s a breakdown of CVS Health’s notable initiatives and developments since Oct. 1: AI strategy unfolding…