Patsy Newitt

Three surgery center LLCs have submitted a certificate of need application for a $28.3 million ASC in Pinehurst, N.C., The Pilot reported Nov. 25. 

 The coworkers of anesthesiologist Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., MD, who allegedly injected heart-stopping drugs into IV bags at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas, testified they were "terrified" of him to federal investigators, D Magazine reported Nov. 23. 

Two leaders joined Becker's to discuss whether payers are pushing procedures to ASCs and other outpatient settings. 

Here are 13 physician kickback suits Becker's reported in 2022 that totaled more than $332 million in either restitution or cost of the fraud scheme:

A medical office building in Chattanooga, Tenn., has sold to a real estate private equity firm for $7.4 million, Times Free Press reported Nov. 21. 

Surgery Partners has snagged an $800 million equity offering, the Brentwood, Tenn.-based ASC chain said Nov. 21. 

Certified registered nurse anesthetists consistently outearn their advanced practice peers, according to Medscape's "APRN Compensation Report 2022," released Nov. 11. 

Anesthesia practices collecting patient payments is becoming increasingly difficult, Tony Mira, CEO of MiraMed Global, wrote in a Nov. 1 blog post. 

Craig Sarine, CEO of University Surgical Associates in Chattanooga, Tenn., joined Becker's to discuss what he wishes his co-workers knew about his job and the migration of procedures to the outpatient setting. 

Alexandria, Va.-based orthopedic surgeon Thomas Raley, MD, will pay $3.1 million and has been sentenced to three years in prison for referring drug prescriptions in return for illegal kickback payments, the Justice Department said Nov. 18.