Patsy Newitt

Boston physician Pankaj Merchia, MD, has been convicted on charges of healthcare fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and tax evasion, according to a Jan. 23 release from the Justice Department.  What happened?

Stark law’s in-office ancillary services exception is one of the most commonly used exceptions because it allows physician practices to provide certain designated health services in the office, such as labs, imaging and therapy, without violating the physician self-referral law,…

As hospitals and ASCs continue to grapple with clinician burnout and staffing shortages, anesthesia leaders are rethinking long-standing compensation and scheduling models.  Megan Friedman, DO, chair and medical director at Los Angeles-based Pacific Coast Anesthesia Consultants, joined Becker’s to discuss…

The paperwork burden of prior authorization keeps climbing, and for some ASCs, the only way through is to treat it like a daily fight.  Elisa Auguste, administrator at East Setauket, N.Y.-based Precision Care Surgery Center and vice president of the…

Rheumatologist Steven Mendelsohn, MD, agreed to pay $549,554 to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act, according to a Jan. 28 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. What happened?

From a fresh AI “front door” strategy to claims-integrity investing, CVS Health has spent the past few months signaling how it plans to grow. Here’s a breakdown of CVS Health’s notable initiatives and developments since Oct. 1: AI strategy unfolding…

As healthcare costs continue to climb and consolidation accelerates across the industry, one ASC executive says the solution policymakers keep overlooking is competition.  Dan Tasset, founder and chairman of Leawood, Kan.-based NueHealth, joined Becker’s that empowering patients with real choices…

Outdoor cameras are the most common security measure used across medical workplaces, but fewer organizations rely on higher-touch protections such as panic buttons or consistent staff training, according to Medscape’s “Physical Security in Medical Workplaces Report,” published Jan. 23.  Medscape…

Intensifying payer oversight of anesthesia reimbursement is spurring hospitals and anesthesia groups to examine closely which procedures receive anesthesia support. “Payer pressure is forcing much tighter scrutiny of which cases get anesthesia support,” Megan Friedman, DO, chair and medical director…

In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente agreed to pay $556 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by submitting unsupported diagnosis codes to Medicare Advantage. The government alleged the scheme…