Patsy Newitt

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. 

The American Hospital Association is asking the FTC to withdraw its proposal to ban noncompete agreements. 

Fifty-two percent of hospital physicians would take a pay cut for a better work-life balance, according to Medscape's "Hospitalist Lifestyle & Happiness Report 2023" released Feb. 22. 

Private equity's interest in ASCs and physicians over the last decade has helped spur a migration of procedures to the outpatient setting, and cardiology could be the next target. 

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is heavily expanding its outpatient portfolio to increase market share, CEO Michael Dowling told Becker's Hospital Review.

In the last few years, Walgreens Boots Alliance has shifted its focus from retail pharmacies to physicians.