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For the first time in the nation, a Web tool is showing the average price paid by health plans to different providers for common healthcare services, according to a release from the office of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

The American Hospital Association released a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that suggests changes to the hospital outpatient proposed payment system and ASC rule, specifically its physician supervision and quality data reporting policies.

The Surgery Center of New Mexico in Clovis, N.M., will merge with Plains Regional Medical Center, also in Colvis, according to a report by the Quay County Sun.

A survey by the American Medical Group Association finds that large medical groups saw a slight boost in compensation in most specialties in 2008 but many continued to operate at a significant loss, according to a release from AMGA.

Northshore Orthopedics Associates in Houston has signed an agreement with Versa Card to open an outpatient spine injury treatment center, according to a release from Versa Card.

US Spine is launching the Preference 2 Complex Spine System, a hook, rod and pedicle screw system, according to a release from the company.

Covenant Medical Center, a 366-bed hospital in Waterloo, Iowa, has agreed to pay $4.5 million to resolve allegations that it overcompensated five employed physicians for referrals, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Amerinet, a leading healthcare group purchasing organization, has signed a sole-source agreement with the Indiana Federation of Ambulatory Surgical Centers, according to an Amerinet news release.

Surveys show that compensation for orthopedic practice administrators varies widely, depending on years of experience, size of the group and many subjective criteria of each practice. Base salaries rose slightly from 2007 to 2008. Here are observations on and trends…

U.S. hospitals would see a net gain of $16 billion over the first 10 years of health reform, rather than the $155 billion loss announced in an agreement between the hospital industry and the White House in July, according to…