Becker’s ASC

Waterloo, Iowa-based Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, an independent physician network with more than 20 clinics in northeast Iowa, closed Oct. 30 after it was no longer able to pay its employees, The Gazette reported Nov. 10. On Nov. 6, a…

A near miss is not a failure — it is proof the system worked. But that reframe only holds if leadership backs it up. Staff who report and see nothing change learn quickly that the culture doesn’t match the message.…

Health systems are racing to build large ASC portfolios through increasingly high-profile acquisitions. Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health plans to acquire Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners for up to $6 billion, adding more than 200 ASCs to the system. This follows…

Most hospitals aren’t ready for Medicare’s mandatory joint replacement bundle, according to a Duke surgeon leading his system’s preparation. CMS finalized the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded model July 31 in its fiscal 2027 inpatient payment rule. Starting Jan.…

CMS released its final 2027 outpatient prospective payment system and ASC rule Nov. 4, giving ASCs a 2.3% payment update and adding more than 600 procedures to the ASC covered procedures list. The changes take effect Jan. 1. Orthopedic and…

U.S. Orthopaedic Partners and Alexandria, La.-based Mid State Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Center opened Mid State Surgical Center, an ambulatory surgery center for orthopedic and pain management care Nov. 5. The center is now treating patients. It has operating rooms,…

A total knee can pay an ASC $3,000 to $4,000 and tie up an operating room for four hours. Under the right contract, a carpal tunnel release can pay about the same and take 15 minutes. That math anchored a…

CMS added 619 procedures to the ASC covered procedures list for 2027. The weight scalar will determine which centers can afford to take them on. The final 2027 OPPS and ASC rule, released Nov. 4, gives ASCs that meet quality…