Patsy Newitt

Here are five leaders to know from Optum and its subsidiary and ASC chain SCA Health, pulled from the companies' websites:

UnitedHealth Group is the insurer with the largest market share, according to a September report from ValuePenguin. 

Richmond, Va.-based physician Salman Akbar, MD, agreed to pay $50,000 in penalties for issuing prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Justice Department said Sept. 29.

Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International is the largest ASC chain in the country with 410 ASCs and 24 surgical hospitals. 

Here are five numbers pointing to industry trends ASC execs need to know:

Santa Ana, Calif.-based physician Mohammed El-Nachef, MD, pleaded guilty to defrauding California's Medi-Cal system by prescribing medically unnecessary drugs to more than 1,000 patients, The Telegraph reported Sept. 28. 

ASCs nationwide are struggling to recruit and retain amidst the 'Great Resignation' and rising operating costs. 

On par with the trend towards physician employment, younger physicians are less likely to be self-employed, according to Medscape's "Young Physician Compensation Report 2022."

As big healthcare companies, payers and investors turn to bundled payments, ASC chains are looking to value-based care systems in an effort to lower costs and improve care quality. 

Sixty-nine percent of physicians would like some form of a single-payer system, according to Medscape's 2022 "Physicians Rate Healthcare Access Report."