This year has been a tumultuous one for ASCs. With issues such as reimbursement declines, physician shortages and rising burnout levels at the top of mind for industry leaders, there has been a lot to monitor.
Here is a breakdown of the biggest ASC updates in each month of 2023, as determined by Becker's page views:
January
Here is a list of the 10 worst states for physicians to retire, based on affordability, quality of life and healthcare.
February
Here is a comparison of the average income earned by experience between nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
March
From consolidation to physician shortages, seven physicians spoke with Becker's to discuss the healthcare trends they are wary of in 2023.
April
Here are the youngest healthcare billionaires in the U.S. for 2023.
May
ASC operator and physician services company Envision filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Envision has been battling high labor costs and was recently in a dispute with UnitedHealthcare in which the insurer alleged Envision was billing routine visits as unnecessarily complex care. The company had approximately $7 billion in debt.
June
Here is a list that ranks all 50 states ranked by number of ASCs using CMS' most recent data.
July
UnitedHealth Group's Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, is on a spending spree, acquiring more than $10 billion worth of companies in the last year. Here are seven of the company's deals to know in 2023.
August
A change to Stark law policies left some physician groups that provide certain medical equipment, devices and supplies to their Medicare patients worried they may be in violation. Many groups were using mailing services to send patients their supplies throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency, which was lifted May 11. The update required Medicare beneficiaries to come to the practice's office to pick up their durable medical equipment when they are furnished and billed by physicians.
Physician practices can still mail the equipment if the prescribing physician both personally enrolls as a Medicare durable medical equipment supplier and personally performs all the services related to the equipment.
September
As of September, eight major U.S. health systems had canceled their Medicare Advantage contracts, often citing low reimbursement rates and prior authorization hassles.
The large-scale termination of these contracts could signal a national trend that could affect ASCs and health systems.
Here is why the eight health systems cut ties with Medicare Advantage.
October
From cardiology to minimally invasive spine procedures, four ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss which procedures they see moving to the outpatient setting.
November
Beginning Jan. 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts will no longer cover the use of monitored anesthesia for certain gastrointestinal patients undergoing endoscopic, bronchoscopic, or interventional pain procedures.
It will no longer consider the use of monitored anesthesia medically necessary for these procedures unless a patient receives documentation by the operating physician or anesthesiologist/certified registered nurse anesthesiologist that specific risk factors or significant medical conditions are present, according to the new policy.
December
In wake of declining reimbursement and other issues, the number of physicians who have decided to no longer treat or accept Medicare and Medicaid patients has increased in recent years. Here is a look at why.