Ker Leader Medical, a new ASC development company, is committed to preserving the autonomy of physicians and ASC leadership. One key way they achieve this is through their innovative financing model.

Cardiology has emerged as a leading specialty in the ASC industry, particularly as increasingly complex procedures migrate to the outpatient setting. 

From gold card programs to reimbursement cuts, physicians across several specialties have clashed with payers over 2024 due to major policy changes. 

Here is a state-by-state breakdown of seven ASC closures Becker's reported on in 2024:

A family medicine physician in Three Rivers, Mass., will pay $220,000 to settle allegations he prescribed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice.

December has been a tumultuous month for anesthesia pay policy, as provider and public outrage has spurred two payers to reverse controversial reimbursement policies. 

Two Arizona residents have pleaded guilty to defrauding the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Arizona's Medicaid agency, through their behavioral health clinic. 

Sixteen separate cardiology practices across 12 states have agreed to pay a total of more than $17.7 million to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals. 

On Dec. 21, President Joe Biden signed a spending bill to keep the federal government operating into 2025, leaving the planned 2.83% across-the-board Medicare physician payment cut untouched. 

California and Massachusetts both attempted to pass legislation that would tighten regulations around private equity transactions in healthcare, but it is unlikely that either state will see the proposed bills become law before the end of 2024, Bloomberg reported Dec. 22. 

ConnectOnCall, a Delaware-based subsidiary of healthcare software company Phreesia, has suffered a data breach affecting up to 914,138 individuals. 

SCA Health's Permineter Surgery Center in Atlanta closed Dec. 20, according to a notice on SCA Health's website. 

Russel, Pa.-based Pine Grove Ambulatory Surgery Center unexpectedly closed Dec. 19, according to a statement on its Facebook page. 

Former wide receiver Randy Moss underwent surgery and spent six days in the hospital due to cancer discovered in his bile duct, in between the pancreas and liver, according to a Dec. 14 report from NBC News.

Here are 16 notable gastroenterology partnerships to know since the beginning of 2024: 

The highest-paid cardiologist in Tampa, Fla., earns $892,600, according to Medscape's salary reporter tool, which is much higher than the mean annual wage of $423,250 cardiologists make according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ohio-based health insurance provider Medical Mutual plans to reduce certified registered nurse anesthetist reimbursements to 85% beginning Jan. 24.

Here are four new ASCs and medical office buildings opening or receiving approval in California, as reported by Becker's since Dec. 3:

The Leapfrog Group has named the top 31 ASCs for 2024, including six endoscopy centers. 

Lakewood, Colo.-based Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology Associates has faced a cyberattack impacting more than 366,000 patients, according to a Dec. 20 report from The HIPAA Journal.