Patsy Newitt

Six COVID-19 updates from the last week: 

While COVID-19 is accelerating the migration of physicians to hospital employment, some hospitals have doubled down on measures that are making it hard for private practice physicians to remain independent. 

Here are eight federal updates from the last two weeks:

The ASCs at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins have a unique benefit: access to research, education and a health system.

A Chicago city council panel is recommending approval of  a $700 million St. Anthony Hospital campus with an ASC, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Jan. 25. 

Eighty-one percent of medical groups have seen an increase in prior authorization requirements since 2020, according to a poll conducted by the Medical Group Management Association in May.

ASCs Inc. has sold the property housing the Wellness Ambulatory Surgery Center in McKinney, Texas, to a private investor. 

Opposition to proposed ASCs often follows a formula: Opponents, such as hospitals, say local providers will lose employees and patients, and proponents cite a need for competition or more independent care. 

Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton (Ga.) has updated plans for a medical office building with an ASC to accommodate the area's population growth, The Gainesville Times reported Jan 25. 

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, recently visited the new St. Clairsville-based Physicians Regional Surgery Center, WTRF reported Jan. 25.