Prashanth Bala, vice president of ASC operations at Shields Health in Quincy, Mass., spoke with Becker's Oct. 21 to discuss tips for lowering ASC operating costs.

Physician pay is decreasing in four specialties, according to Merritt Hawkins and AMN Healthcare's 2022 "Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives."

Ninety-four percent of physicians live at or below their means, according to Medscape's 2022 "Physician Wealth & Debt Report."

In its 2022 "Physician Wealth & Debt Report," Medscape surveyed physicians on their compensation and how they manage their money.

Here are nine recent stories Becker's has covered about Aetna and its parent company, CVS Health, in the last 30 days: 

Eighty-two percent of group practice executives say prior authorization is very or extremely burdensome, according to the Medical Group Management Association's "Annual Regulatory Burden Report."

As healthcare continues to move toward value-based care, payment based on the model remains a point of contention, according to the Medical Group Management Association's "Annual Regulatory Burden Report."

UnitedHealth Group is the largest payer by 2021 revenue, according to a Sept. 1 report from ValuePenguin. 

Willingboro, N.J.-based former physician assistant Aaron Jones, 28, was sentenced to two years in prison for a scheme that defrauded payers millions of dollars, Press of Atlantic City reported Oct. 5. 

Community Health has filed a suit to recover nearly $10 million from Fresno, Ariz.-based physician group Santé Health System, The Sun reported Oct. 5. 

A federal judge ruled an antitrust suit, filed by former employees of Deerfield, Ill.-based SCA Health, can move forward against Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, DaVita and UnitedHealth Group affiliates, Bloomberg Law reported Sept. 27. 

UnitedHealth Group is the insurer with the largest market share, according to a September report from ValuePenguin. 

Pharmaceutical company Biogen has agreed to pay $900 million to resolve allegations it paid kickbacks to physicians to prescribe Biogen drugs, the U.S. Justice Department said Sept. 26. 

While many procedures are migrating to the ASC setting, "historically" slow payer policy changes could create delays, according to administrator Brenda Carter. 

CMS reduced outpatient overpayments given for patients receiving inpatient services in other facilities by updating their system, according to an audit from the HHS Office of Inspector General. 

High patient deductibles are shifting the way physicians deliver care, according to Eric Anderson, MD, a pain management physician in Lewisville, Texas.

Hospitals and health systems need to update their physician compensation plans after CMS' recent changes to the Stark Law, according to an article in JDSupra from the law firm Foley and Lardner. 

The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association submitted comments to CMS on the Medicare 2023 proposed payment rule Sept. 13, asking the organization to make updates that would benefit ASCs as "high-quality, lower-cost facilities for outpatient surgical care," the company said in the letter shared with Becker's. 

From high-acuity spine to cardiac procedures, five ASC leaders joined Becker's to share what procedures they see moving to the ASC setting.

Aetna, a CVS Health company, insures about 39 million people.