Editor's Note The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is squaring off against a private equity-backed anesthesia practice in Texas, HealthNews Florida November 30 reports. This move is being seen as a first step in the agency seeking to challenge the increasing role of private equity in monopolizing medical groups.  In September,…

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Editor's Note There is a major anesthesia provider shortage that has been and continues to impact ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and which is driving up costs, Becker’s ASC Review November 29 reports. Meanwhile, reimbursements from payers are declining, straining ASCs’ ability to provide needed care. Some highlights from the Becker’s…

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Pain treatments have applications in traditional hospital OR settings and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). “The choice of setting depends on the specific needs of the patient, the type of procedure being performed, and the resources available,” says Wang Lushun, MD, senior consultant orthopedic surgeon at Arete Orthopaedic Centre in Singapore.…

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Editor's Note The high cost of healthcare is leading many Americans to skip care and forgo medications, according to the 2023 Healthcare Affordability Survey by the Commonwealth Fund published on October 26. Some highlights of the survey include: A large number of insured working-age adults surveyed admitted difficulty affording their…

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Editor's Note This new study in JAMA Health Forum is one of the first to review publicly available insurer price data and compare regional rate differences. The research was published by JAMA Network on October 27. Following are some highlights: Over half of the US population receives health insurance from…

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Editor's Note Forbes Advisor released a ranking of the best and worst states for healthcare based on 24 metrics and four key categories: healthcare access, outcomes, cost, and quality of hospital care, Forbes October 13 reports. The article also noted that as many as 70% of Americans are unsatisfied with…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that Medicare patients having common surgical procedures in health professional shortage area hospitals obtain safe care without evidence of higher expenditures. A total of 842,787 Medicare patients undergoing appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, or hernia repair between 2014 and 2018…

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Editor's Note This Canadian study finds a 1.5-fold increase in costs in the year after major, elective noncardiac surgery for patients with preoperative frailty. A total of 171,576 patients (23,219 with preoperative frailty) were included in the analysis. Unadjusted costs were higher for frail patients. After adjusting for confounders, an…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, finds that telemedicine use is associated with lower direct medical costs. A total of 2,938 outpatient department visits and 20,204 office-based visits were included in the analysis. Of these 47.6% of outpatient department and 24.7% of office-based visits…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, on April 26, announced updates to the enforcement process for its hospital price transparency rule. CMS will now automatically impose a civil monetary penalty if hospitals do not submit a corrective action plan on time or complete it within 45 days.…

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