The number of Medicare-certified ASCs has increased by 870 since 2011, according to a Feb. 13 report from financial advisory firm VMG Health. 

Some of the largest recoveries by the Justice Department in the last year were Stark law violations, according to a Feb. 8 report from law firm Mintz, which could mean the law could be enforced more strictly moving forward.

At least 16,430,000 Medicaid enrollees have been disenrolled as of Feb. 1, according to data from KFF.

Legislation further amending noncompete policy in Washington has passed the state's Senate. 

Preauthorization. Precertification. Prior authorization. One of the most time-consuming, costly, and complex paperchase processes for the healthcare industry goes by many names.

Forty-six percent of physicians participate in the fee-for-service payment model, according to Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report 2023."

Despite its growing popularity, only 14% of physicians participate in the value-based payment model, according to Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report 2023."

CMS recently added 11 surgical codes to the ASC payable list and finalized a 3.1% payment rate for ASCs in its 2024 final rule.

Sixteen states have no certificate-of-need laws, according to a report from HealthCare Appraisers, a consulting firm. 

Recent prior authorization reforms by CMS are a significant step in the right direction but are not an all-encompassing solution, according to the American Medical Association.

The Delaware Supreme Court ruled that financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald properly denied $9 million to former partners under noncompete agreements, Bloomberg Law reported Jan. 29. 

More states have been looking to repeal or reform their certificate-of-need laws with the intention of increasing access to care. 

A married couple living in Birchwood, Tenn., have been sentenced for a $65 million TriCare fraud scheme. 

Becker's has reported on three major payer contract splits and resolutions that have affected ASCs since Dec. 5:

The North Carolina Supreme Court has granted review in September for a lawsuit from Jay Singleton, MD, who owns an ophthalmology practice in New Bern, N.C., challenging the state's certificate-of-need laws. 

The Federal Trade Commission has been largely silent on its proposed ban on noncompete contracts for full-time employees and independent contractors introduced January 2023, according to an article by law firm BakerHostetler published in JDSupra.

Indianapolis-based Community Health Network recently agreed to pay $345 million to resolve claims it violated the False Claims Act and Stark law, indicating the importance for providers to pay close attention to physician compensation arrangements, law firm Baker Donelson wrote in a Jan. 22 article published by JDSupra. 

Many physicians have experienced challenges stemming from Stark law, which bans them from making referrals for Medicare-payable health services if the physician or immediate family member has a financial relationship with the entity. 

Earlier this year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would've banned noncompetes and added the state to a short list of those prohibiting noncompetes. 

Two ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss the payer trends that are affecting ASCs in the most significant ways at the moment.