Milagro is expanding its partnership with Constitution Surgery Alliance to add clinical data extraction across the ASC network, the companies announced Sept. 9. The expansion follows Milagro’s rollout of autonomous surgical coding to three additional CSA facilities, bringing its coding…
Patsy Newitt
A federal jury convicted three defendants in an $11 million Medicaid fraud and kickback scheme involving a Henrico, Va.-based mental health agency, according to a Sept. 9 Justice Department news release. Twin sisters E’mon and Armone’ Ambers, 31, and Traquan…
A federal judge ordered the redaction of two physicians’ names from all unsealed filings in a dismissed qui tam case under the False Claims Act, a departure from how courts have typically ruled on such requests, according to a Sept.…
CMS’ finalized calendar year 2026 payment rule removed 285 mostly musculoskeletal procedures from Medicare’s inpatient-only list, part of a three-year phaseout the agency plans to complete by 2029. Outpatient procedures reimburse Medicare an average of $16,334 less than the same…
Two Florida men were sentenced to prison for their roles in a $34.8 million Medicare fraud scheme involving unnecessary orthotic braces, according to a Sept. 4 Justice Department news release. Kenneth Kessler III of Miami, was sentenced to 33 months…
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A Georgian national was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on one count of money laundering conspiracy tied to a $1.3 billion healthcare fraud scheme, according to a Sept. 4 Justice Department news release. Erekle Gugava allegedly fled…
MultiCare Health System will close three Rockwood eye clinics in Spokane County, Wash., by Dec. 31, affecting 56 employees, including physicians and optometrists, the Spokane Journal reported Sept. 4. The clinics slated to close are Rockwood Eye & Optical Center-Downtown…
Medicare’s 2026 payment rules landed with more bad news for gastroenterologists: another round of cuts to endoscopy payments, a work RVU “efficiency” haircut that specifically targets procedures like colonoscopy, and a widening gap between what GI physicians are paid and…
Skyway Surgery Center, an ASC in Chico, Calif., is asking the community for help staying open amid financial challenges that could force its closure, KDRV reported Sept. 4. The ASC has operated independently since opening in 2004 and has three…
Physician-staffed primary care networks, an independent multispecialty group and a physician-owned surgery center have all sought banktupcy protection this year, alongside hospitals whose financial collapse directly threatens physician jobs and referral networks. Clinics and physician practices accounted for almost 30%…