ASCs and physician practices are required to provide cost estimates for expected charges to self-pay patients when scheduling procedures or services as part of the No Surprises Act, which went into effect Jan. 1.

Here are five updates from Aetna, one of the country's biggest payers, in the last 30 days:

A Bay City, Mich.-based vascular surgeon pleaded guilty to a multimillion dollar fraud scheme Feb. 8, according to the Justice Department.

The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association is asking members to write to Congress and ask them to support the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2021. 

A growing number of commercial insurers are revamping policies to push providers and patients out of the hospital and into ASCs, where procedures can be performed at a lower cost.

A 69-year-old woman pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after billing cosmetic surgeries at a California surgery center as medically necessary, the Justice Department said Feb. 4.

Shannon Yarrow, senior vice president of managed care at Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners, joined "Becker's ASC Review Podcast" to talk about reimbursement opportunities for physicians doing outpatient procedures.

The cost of essential goods jumped 7 percent last year, outpacing the reimbursement increases to healthcare providers across the board.

The healthcare industry is experiencing monumental changes due to policy shifts and the aftermath of COVID-19. Insurers are taking stock of the situation and see a huge opportunity to direct more care to outpatient settings.

An Illinois clinic lost coverage from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and an Idaho ASC lost coverage from CMS in 2021. 

Here are seven insights into price transparency and ASCs from the last year:

Potential Medicare pay cuts associated with the 2010 sequestration have loomed large on Capitol Hill for the last decade, but lawmakers continue to kick the can down the road.

Anthem is the largest publicly traded Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate, operating as a Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield plan in 14 states. 

Eighty-one percent of medical groups have seen an increase in prior authorization requirements since 2020, according to a poll conducted by the Medical Group Management Association in May.

An optometrist based in Carlisle, Mass., was indicted for billing fraud during the height of the pandemic.

Melbourne, Fla.-based Surgery Center of Viera filed a lawsuit Jan. 20 in Florida Middle District Court in Orlando against Cigna and Strategic Enterprise Solutions.

Both payers and CMS have noticed opportunities in value-based care to lower costs and strengthen patient care. 

Here are the major reimbursement updates since July 1: 

Value-based care and bundled payments have been gaining momentum in the ASC industry as a means to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient care. 

Surprise bills for colonoscopies following a stool-based screening test with positive results are now prohibited, according to Health Day.