Author: Patsy Newitt

Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International, the largest ASC chain in the U.S. and subsidiary of Tenet Healthcare, employs more than 11,000 physicians. 

Here are 15 fast facts on the country's three biggest ASC chains:

Harvey Jenkins, a former physician based in Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to running a "pill mill" and other charges, NBC affiliate KFOR reported Feb. 27. 

Here are four of the most expensive ASC projects in February, totaling $346 million: 

ASCs are historically reimbursed at lower levels than hospital outpatient departments, and as operating costs soar, many leaders are worried about how low reimbursements will affect their ability to meet margins. 

Outpatient visits are being billed at increasingly higher levels, according to a Feb. 27 analysis from the Peterson Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation. 

Only 58 percent of anesthesiologists said they were happy outside of work, compared to 85 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Medscape's "Anesthesiologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2023," released Feb. 24. 

Here are the four biggest deals in February that ASCs need to know:

Plastic surgeons are the happiest physicians outside of work, a Feb. 24 Medscape report found. 

Warren, N.J.-based podiatrist Joel Lerner, MD, admitted to using his medical license to purchase oncology medications to sell for a profit, the Justice Department.