Author: Patsy Newitt

Two Nebraska practices, both in Lincoln, plan to open ASCs this year, the Journal Star reported Feb. 26. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ended the mandate pausing nonemergency surgeries in the state, according to local NBC affiliate WGRZ.

UnitedHealth Group has decided to stop mailing prior authorization and clinical decisions to providers on paper.

President Joe Biden said Feb. 18 he will extend the national emergency, first declared March 13, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic beyond April 14. 

HonorHealth was approved to purchase a $3.43 million plot of land in Peoria, Ariz., to build an ambulatory medical campus, Peoria Times reported Feb. 25. 

The number of daily cases performed in an ASC operating room has jumped from three to 5.2 since 2011, according to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022.

Here are six recent updates in colonoscopy:

Outpatient total joint replacements, some of the highest reimbursement-earning procedures in ASCs, have seen massive growth in the last few years. 

Three ASC transactions since Feb. 17 have totaled $118 million:

Big Pharma, private equity and private payers are some of the forces Gabriel Ionescu, MD, sees as decision makers in the future of healthcare.