Certificate-of-need laws vary by state and consequently can have a huge impact on ASC development in each region.

Some leaders believe payers will be forced to increase ASC reimbursements as they become more lucrative amid healthcare's shift to value-based care. 

As a low-cost site of service, ASCs could benefit as value-based care's influence in healthcare heightens. 

July has been a busy month for CMS, from facing Congressional pressure on a prior authorization overhaul to the addition of dental surgical codes in its prospective payment system proposal for 2024. Here is how four changes floated in the last 30 days will impact ASCs: 

Here are four major insurance companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Aetna, facing lawsuits in the last 60 days: 

Noncompete clauses affect between 37 and 45 percent of physicians, according to a report from the American Medical Association, and often can limit career growth and restrict physicians' ability to provide care in economically or socially marginalized communities. 

Healthcare and insurance company Cigna is facing a lawsuit alleging that it systematically rejects patient claims using an algorithm system it put in place to automate the process, according to a July 24 report from Forbes.

Suburban Chicago physician John Greager, MD, and his ASC will pay more than $757,000 to settle allegations he submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.  

A bipartisan Congressional majority is putting pressure on CMS to finalize a federal regulation that would overhaul prior authorization within Medicare Advantage, according to a July 24 report from the American Medical Association.

Here are four Stark law changes Becker's has reported on since Feb. 15:

Josh Troast, director of ambulatory surgical services for Muskegon (Mich.) Surgical Associates, joined Becker's to discuss what ASCs need to thrive in the next five years. 

Health Care Service Corp., a health plan operator for 18 million members across Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, is integrating artificial intelligence and augmented intelligence to reform its prior authorization process. 

CMS pitched a 2.8 percent average rate increase for ASCs next year, and many leaders feel the move isn't enough to offset increasing costs. 

Physician pay is struggling to keep up with inflation, declining reimbursement and Medicare pay cuts.

In the 2024 hospital outpatient prospective payment system, CMS pitched a 2.8 percent average rate increase for ASCs next year.

CMS plans to add only 26 dental surgical codes to the ASC payable list next year, according to the 2024 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposal released July 13. 

Here are 16 physician kickback suits Becker's  has reported on in 2023 that totaled more than $180 million in either restitution or cost of the fraud scheme:

Physicians and patients alike may face challenges due to CMS' suggested 3.34 percent conversion factor decrease from its proposed Medicare physician fee schedule for 2024.

Two Florida men have pleaded guilty for their roles in a Medicare fraud scheme in which they submitted more than $67 million in false claims for unnecessary genetic testing and durable medical equipment that were procured with kickbacks.

UnitedHealth's new site-of-service policy is in part driven by the cost savings incurred by ASCs, executives said in a July 14 second-quarter earnings call transcribed by Seeking Alpha.