Patsy Newitt

As private equity-backed groups, hospitals and ASCs all bid for the same thin pipeline of gastroenterologists, recruiting one has become one of healthcare’s longest and most expensive physician searches. Gastroenterology openings now sit unfilled for a median of 186 days,…

Physicians are more likely to describe making friends at this stage of their lives as difficult than easy, and a lack of time is by far the biggest reason those friendships fray, according to Medscape’s “Physician Friendships Report 2026,” published…

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a consent order requiring Ascension Health Alliance to divest seven Amsurg ASCs across five markets as a condition of its $3.9 billion acquisition of Amsurg, which closed in early June, according to an Aug.…

Nashville-based SurgNet Health Partners has appointed Cathy Kowalski as chief executive officer, effective July 13, according to an Aug. 25 news release shared with Becker’s. Ms. Kowalski brings more than three decades of healthcare leadership experience, including prior roles at…

Portland-based Oath Surgical has performed the first Genio sleep apnea implant procedure in Oregon and the first in the Pacific Northwest to take place in an ASC setting, according to an Aug. 25 news release shared with Becker’s. The procedure…

For nearly 40 years, the J-1 visa, which lets international medical graduates train in U.S. residency programs, has helped hold together the physician workforce in some of the country’s most underserved communities.  Now, the same pipeline health system leaders have…

CMS finalized its newest mandatory bundled payment model for hospitals, but the rule also has implications for ASCs that perform outpatient hip and knee replacements for those hospitals’ patients. The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded Model, or CJR-X, was…

For most of the last decade, ASC quality reporting has been a compliance exercise through data submitted to CMS to avoid a payment penalty. That is changing quickly. In 2026, the Leapfrog Group rolled out the first public, facility-level grading…

A Tennessee-based in-home care company has agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of submitting false diagnosis codes to inflate Medicare Advantage risk scores, the Justice Department said in an Aug. 24 news release. Monogram Health…

Integrated Dermatology Group has acquired Knuckles Dermatology, a two-location dermatology practice in Corbin and Richmond, Ky., according to an Aug. 19 news release.  The practice, led by board-certified dermatologist Melissa Knuckles, MD, will operate as Integrated Dermatology of Kentucky following…