House committee passes proposal to repeal Medicare’s SGR.
The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee has passed a bipartisan proposal that would repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate, which Medicare used to determine physician reimbursement. The proposed bill would have SRG no longer starting next year and grant physicians a 0.5 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement until 2018. Beginning in 2019, physician pay will be based on quality reporting and outcomes.
AmSurg revenue up 17% in Q2, adds two centers.
AmSurg, ambulatory surgery center management and development company, has reported $269.3 million in 2013 second quarter revenue, up 17 percent. In the second quarter, the company acquired two centers. In 2012, the company acquired 17 centers and now operates a total of 243.
51% of providers anticipate ICD-10 to drive quality improvement.
An eHealth Initiative and American Health Information Management Association survey has found that 51 percent of providers anticipate that quality improvement is a potential benefit of ICD-10 implementation. The survey also found that 59 percent of providers expect ICD-10 implementation to result in a revenue decline, while 20 percent are unsure of what the financial impact will be.
ASMBS questions CMS proposal to end bariatric surgery center accreditation.
Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, president-elect of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, recently co-authored a study published in Surgical Endoscopy. The study, in response to the recent CMS proposal to discontinue accreditation for bariatric surgery centers, links a lower mortality rate to accredited bariatric centers. The ASMBS intends to submit another study in support of bariatric center accreditation. CMS will make a final ruling on the issue on Sept. 25.
Greymark Healthcare acquires surgery center company.
Greymark Healthcare has acquired Foundation Surgery Affiliates, which owns equity interest in 11 surgery centers in seven states. Greymark also acquired Foundation Surgical Hospital Affiliates. Greymark now holds all of the member interests of both Foundation Surgery Affiliates and Foundation Surgical Hospital Affiliates.
Magna Health System receives funding for newly-developed $20M surgery center.
SomerCor 504 has provided a significant portion of the loan Magna Health Systems needed for its $20 million, newly-developed surgery center in Bedford Park, Ill. The three-story, 58,000-square-foot surgery center will be occupied by the Magna Health surgery center and local healthcare providers.
Laurel Laser & Surgery Center reaches 10k cataract removals.
Laurel Laser & Surgery Center in Duncansville, Pa., has announced that its physicians removed their 10,000th cataract this month, six years after the facility began offering the procedure.
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