The No Surprises Act, which creates cost transparency for patients and protects against balance billing, took effect Jan. 1, 2022. It has shifted care and billing rules for ASCs and hospitals, and has been extremely controversial over the last two years. 

A Wall Township, N.J.-based surgery center that was approved in 2021 has been given an extension on its construction time, according to a Jan. 25 report from the Star News Group.

Anesthesiology has the highest number of active physicians out of three ASC specialty fields, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Physician burnout may be on the decline in 2024 following years of steady increases brought, in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is still well above pre-pandemic levels. 

The odds of a patient with comorbidities revisiting an ASC within seven days of surgery rise at low-volume ASCs compared to high-volume ASCs, according to a Jan. 24 report published in JAMA Surgical. 

The Quincy, Mass., planning board has approved a 40-year tax exemption for a new medical office building managed by Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, according to a Jan. 24 report from The Patriot Ledger. 

Jerry Joseph Bruggeman, MD, 52, has been indicted on charges he made false statements to Medicare. 

Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System will discontinue its oral surgery services Jan. 31, citing an inability to meet demand, Marshfield News Herald reported Jan. 23. 

An excess of bureaucratic tasks at work, including charting and paperwork, is the leading cause of physician burnout, according to Medscape's 2024 "Physician Burnout and Depression Report," published Jan. 24.

There are 20 states in the U.S. that have more ASCs than Medicaid-registered hospitals, according to data from CMS. 

Emergency medicine physicians are the most burnt out physician specialists for the second year in a row, with 63% experiencing burnout, according to Medscape's 2024 "Physician Burnout and Depression Report," published Jan. 24.

Twenty-six percent of physicians are considering leaving their primary roles as physicians to pivot to nonclinical careers, according to Medscape's "Physicians and Nonclinical Careers Report 2023."

Here are five updates on Walmart's healthcare division reported by Becker's since Nov. 17:

The West Virginia House of Delegates had its second reading for House Bill 4432, a 25-page bill that would allow physician assistants to own their own practices, according to a Jan. 22 report from Metro News. 

The World Health Organization released updated guidance for the use of large multi-modal models, a form of artificial intelligence with multiple potential uses in healthcare.

Healthgrades has released its annual list of the top specialty hospitals by state, identifying the top facilities for 18 different specialties, including surgical care. 

The former president and CEO of a nonprofit medical clinic in Whittier, Calif., was sentenced to 124 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded a California healthcare program of nearly $5 million.

A former Mineola, N.Y., physician has been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for his role in overprescribing opioids that killed five patients, CBS News New York reported Jan. 22. 

HCA Healthcare's ASC network, Surgery Ventures, spans 40 markets across 16 states in the U.S. Here are all of  its ASCs:

No company has been immune from the economic factors causing waves of layoffs across the nation since 2020, including medical device giant Johnson & Johnson, whose companies include orthopedic franchise DePuy Synthes.