Here are seven updates:
Physicians Realty Trust acquires ASC in Q3
In the third quarter of 2015, Physicians Realty Trust closed $297 million in medical office real estate investments. The company acquired two buildings affiliated with Memorial Hermann Health System, which will house an ASC. The ASC is joint-ventured with United Surgical Partners International and other Memorial Hermann services.
Alaska has the highest healthcare expenditure growth in 20 years
Kaiser State Health Facts found Alaska had the highest healthcare expenditure growth per capita from 1991 to 2009 with a reported 7.3 percent growth. Alaska is followed by Maine, which had a 7 percent growth in healthcare expenditures.
Jeb Bush plans to repeal & replace ACA
Presidential candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush's healthcare plan proposes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace the law with one that would "promote innovation," "lower costs," and "return power to the state."
Congress members show support for halting colonoscopy reimbursement cuts
Many Congress members voiced their support for colonoscopy's role in colorectal cancer screening. In a letter to the CMS, 27 U.S. senators and 94 U.S. representatives asked the CMS to consider the effect its proposed colonoscopy reimbursements cuts would have on colorectal cancer screening efforts.
CMS releases Medicare Advantage 2016 star ratings
On Thursday, CMS released its 2016 Star Ratings with more Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage earning top scores this year. Nearly half of these plans earned four or more stars for their overall rating, a 9 percentage point increase from 2015 ratings.
HealthCare.gov undergoes consumer privacy protections updates
The government updated HealthCare.gov's consumer privacy protections. The updated site will have a "privacy manager," allowing users to opt out of embedded connections to third party advertising, analytics and social media sites.
APEX honors Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center
APEX granted 90 facilities, including Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center, the APEX Award. The Iowa ASC has received the award for the last five years.
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