One privilege of living at this time in history is the availability of choice, especially for health and surgical needs. Those who make healthcare their business understand this as well. According to Tanna et al, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are spreading to rural areas, hospitals are creating hybrid outpatient surgery…

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Editor's Note As aging ambulatory surgery center (ASC) physician-owners retire, many ASCs are struggling with succession plans, Outpatient Surgery Magazine May 1 reports. Per the article, younger surgeons often lack the capital to establish freestanding ASCs, and with tight margins in the ASC market, a capital infusion is often needed.…

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Editor's Note Federal regulation of hospital mergers is inadequate, according to an April antitrust enforcement study scheduled to be published by the American Economic Association. According to a June 14 report in Modern Healthcare, researchers at universities including Harvard and Yale analyzed insurance claims data from Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare,…

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Editor's Note In a recent ASCA Audio Update, Charlie Leonard, public relations and public affairs consultant, spoke with Steven Obrech, associate director of government affairs at ASCA, to discuss various legislative issues affecting ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). This discussion showcased ongoing legislative challenges and efforts to support ASC operations at…

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Editor's Note Over the last 10 years, private equity has taken over many of the nation’s health care facilities—from hospitals to nursing homes to physician practices—spending $1 trillion and instituting changes designed to rapidly increase profits, NBC News reported April 9. Studies have found that these takeovers can have serious…

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Editor's Note The practice of concierge physicians is expanding as thousands of doctors at large hospital systems shift to a model facilitating high fees and decreased patient load, according to an April 1 report in KFF Health News. The concierge physician model began decades ago in wealthy areas of Florida…

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Editor's Note Private payers initially deny reimbursement on 15% of claims, only to later approve more than half of those initial denials, according to a national survey of healthcare institutions published March 21 by Premiere, Inc. Additionally, the denied claims on average tend to be more prevalent for higher-cost treatments…

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Editor's Note According to a March 11 research letter published by JAMA Internal Medicine, most physicians have a negative view of private equity’s growing involvement in healthcare. The findings mostly come from a January 2023 survey of 525 medical doctors conducted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). Some highlights…

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Editor's Note Making good on plans announced by the Biden administration in December, federal agencies have launched a public inquiry into how private equity mergers and acquisitions impact patient outcomes, worker safety, and healthcare access and costs, including costs to taxpayers.  As reported by Dotmed Healthcare Business News on March…

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Editor's Note Quality of care drops when hospitals move from public to private ownership, according to review published in the March issue of the Lancet Public Health. The meta-analysis uses evidence from 13 longitudinal studies across the United States, Canada, Croatia, England, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Sweden. Researchers evaluated…

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