Seventy-eight people have been charged with the alleged participation in a healthcare fraud and opioid abuse scheme worth more than $2.5 billion.

Here are five key stats about ASC operating expenses from VMG Health's 2022 "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study:"

Alejandro Fernandez, CEO of San Diego-based Synergy Orthopedic Specialists, joined Becker's to discuss the importance of ASC ownership as the healthcare industry becomes increasingly consolidated.

Twenty-one physician specialties saw pay increases in 2023, according to Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report 2023."

In January, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule that would ban noncompete contracts nationwide. Eighty-seven percent of physicians support the rule, according to a report from Doximity.

On June 20, the New York State Legislature passed a bill aiming to stop employers from entering into noncompete agreements with their employees, according to a June 26 post from JD Supra.

Physician-owned hospitals offer commercial and cash prices that are about one-third lower than non-physician-owned hospitals, according to a study published June 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Here are seven things physicians should know about the physician self-referral laws, or Stark laws, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Here are seven things physicians should know about the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists:

Low reimbursements coupled with the overall decrease of physician revenue from employment models create a perfect storm for physician compensation. 

Though the popularity of value-based care is rising, fee-for service payment models remain the status quo in several areas of healthcare.

Adam Bruggeman, MD, of Texas Spine Care Center in San Antonio, shared insight about the government and private payer landscape related to physicians and ASCs at the 19th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC event.

Though the Anti-Kickback Statute is federal law, it plays out differently from state to state. 

The federal healthcare Anti-Kickback Statute targets bribery and corruption within healthcare, according to a June 13 post from JD Supra.

Here are five prior authorization updates Becker's has reported on since May 25:

More than 230 U.S. Representatives and 61 Senators have authored letters urging CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services to finalize a proposal that would require insurers to streamline the prior authorization process for federally sponsored health plans. 

Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre, a skilled nursing facility in Riverside, Calif., and its management company, Rockport Healthcare Services, agreed to pay the U.S. and California $3.825 million to resolve kickback allegations.

Eleven percent of physicians attribute financial losses to practice issues such as business problems, reimbursement changes and a change in practice setting, according to Medscape's "Physician Wealth & Debt Report 2023."

The Commonwealth Fund released the 2023 Scorecard State Health System Performance report, examining quality healthcare access and affordability by state.

Physicians have alleged that executives within Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare pressure hospital staff to persuade patients' families to initiate end-of-life care to boost metrics, according to claims made in a June 21 NBC News report.