A former Huntsville, Ala., family physician and her wife were sentenced in federal court for drug crimes, healthcare fraud and COVID-19 disaster relief fraud Dec. 18, WHNT reported Dec. 19. 

Cyberattacks and data breaches have become increasingly common across the healthcare sector, a trend that is likely to continue into 2025.

Physicians are protesting the planned closure of Sharon (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, according to a Dec. 17 report from WKBN.

Fairfax, Va.-based Inova Northern Virginia Surgery Center has agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which claimed the ASCillegally fired an employee because of her disability and age. 

Around 54% of U.S. residents state that they are "comfortable and prepared to support" President-elect Donald Trump when he is inaugurated in January, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

Bankruptcies in healthcare hit a five-year high in 2023, when 12 hospitals and health systems filed for bankruptcy. This trend has slowed in 2024, as average operating margins have improved across the hospital sector. 

As Tenet Healthcare Corp. braces for 2025, outpatient investments, including ASCs, will likely be key drivers of the company's financial success in the new year. 

Kevin Do, MD, a physician in Pasadena, Calif., agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the California workers' compensation fund of more than $3 million.

President-elect Donald Trump's pick for HSS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has begun meeting with Republican senators on Capitol Hill ahead of his confirmation hearing, according to a Dec. 16 report from NBC News.

Connecticut will become the first state to begin paying off resident medical debt, according to a Dec. 17 report from Boston.com.

Mark Mazzare, MD, a physician in Tyler, Texas, has pleaded guilty to his role in a $5.5 million over-the-counter COVID-19 test fraud scheme. 

The Leapfrog Group has named the top 31 ASCs for 2024, recognizing facilities for safety and recovery standards, fair billing practices, volume and other achievements. 

A court of appeals has ruled that Indianapolis, Ind.-based Capitol Street Surgery Center was within its rights to fire an interventional radiology technologist, according to court documents accessed by Becker's. 

A Whitefish, Mo.-based physician was sentenced for his role in a $31 million fraud scheme.

The rising use of GLP-1 medications, such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic, for weight loss has driven up patients' visits to their physicians, resulting in more frequent diagnoses of other health issues, Finimize reported Dec. 16. 

A Mattituck, N.Y.-based physician has pleaded guilty to receiving kickbacks in exchange for medically unnecessary brain scans. 

A physician in Jenkintown, Pa., has been charged with illegally prescribing Suboxone, a medication commonly used to treat opioid dependence.

Here are six former staff suing their ASC employer in 2024:

In recent commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine AI, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Equality AI and Boston University underscored the need for more regulation regarding both AI and non-AI algorithms in healthcare.

An overwhelming majority of nurses are happy with their career choices in 2024, with 92% glad they entered the profession, according to Medscape's 2024 "What They Love and Loathe: Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report," published Dec. 13.