February 08, 2010 Hospitals have been seeking more regulation and public reporting requirements from free-standing ambulatory surgery centers, often owned and operated by physicians, but ASC backers say hospitals should be careful about what they wish for. Financial-, safety- and quality-reporting requirements could... ... FULL STORY
January 25, 2010 Four years ago, an integrated primary-care system that provides access to high-quality care to New Orleans residents in their own neighborhoods was nearly unthinkable. Today, as a new report from the not-for-profit Commonwealth Fund shows, not only is that system a reality, but also it might serve... ... FULL STORY
January 11, 2010 Two very different corporations—one that hawks personal consumer products, and another that sells information technology—recently expanded their small but potentially huge footprints in the healthcare provider arena. And the reason why, experts say, is that people still believe there is... ... FULL STORY
By Isabelle T. Walker December 14, 2009 More than 100 physicians and other health professionals gathered in Atlanta last month to refine strategies for treating the most vulnerable of homeless populations: those who live unsheltered in the nooks and crannies of the world's urban landscapes. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks August 10, 2009 The most tangible outcomes of a volatile three-year medical-political struggle in Massachusetts appear to be that you can now get your rash examined in a CVS pharmacy, but you can't buy cigarettes while you're there—at least not at a Boston CVS. ... FULL STORY
June 08, 2009 Retail clinics are augmenting care to the insured and affluent rather than providing a primary source of care to low-income uninsured, concluded a study released last month. ... FULL STORY
May 26, 2009 The term “medical home” has become a catchphrase, tossed around by lawmakers, insurers and health policy experts. Meanwhile, countless medical-home demonstration projects are being launched by public and private payers, employers, clinical and academic centers and consumer advocacy groups across... ... FULL STORY
April 13, 2009 Life has changed for physicians who own ambulatory surgery centers in New Jersey. And for physicians who plan to open their own ASC, life probably has become much more hectic. ... FULL STORY
By Rebecca Vesely January 12, 2009 Employment-based health clinics are the latest casualty of the ongoing recession, as corporations push off plans to open on- and near-site clinics and some existing clinics are being considered for the chopping block, industry experts say. ... FULL STORY
By Gregg Blesch December 08, 2008 A legal opinion plunged New Jersey’s ASCs into limbo last year and legislators committed themselves to fix a consequential but narrow issue. All of the interested parties came to the table—hospitals, insurers, physicians—and the table was soon cluttered with baggage. ... FULL STORY
December 08, 2008 As the smallest in size and fourth-least densely populated states, respectively, Rhode Island and North Dakota don’t often find themselves leading the union. But both are in front of the pack when it comes to promoting the patient-centered medical-home concept. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks November 03, 2008 Common wisdom would say that significant innovations in healthcare delivery typically get their start in big cities or at major academic medical centers. So, Selmer, Tenn., with a population of 4,600, might be an unlikely place to find a medical practice at the leading edge of an integrated-care... ... FULL STORY
October 20, 2008 Community health centers that serve low-income and uninsured patients have always been a landing spot for mission-driven physicians. Now they have also become a haven for some who are feeling squeezed by malpractice insurance costs and other administrative burdens of private practice. ... FULL STORY
April 07, 2008 Advocates of physician-owned hospitals may have scored a win with a settlement in Kansas, but a recent study about referral patterns to ASCs continues—and broadens—the debate over doctor investment. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks March 10, 2008 Less federal money and more-frequent visits from federal inspectors—that’s what ambulatory surgery centers have to look forward to if President Bush’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal becomes reality. In Colorado, the federal plan would add insult to injury as the state’s annual inspection fees were... ... FULL STORY
February 19, 2008 While it seems just about every medical association in Georgia is taking sides, participants agree that the latest fight between hospitals and physicians won’t spill across state lines. ... FULL STORY
January 07, 2008 A ruling in an N.J. insurance fraud case has caused commotion in the state’s medical community because a judge’s decision included an opinion on how doc-owners of an ASC were violating the state’s self-referral law. ... FULL STORY
December 17, 2007 A lawsuit along with legislative action are expected to rain down on the Georgia Board of Community Health’s unanimous 6-0 decision to approve a certificate-of-need rule that recognizes general surgeons as single specialists. ... FULL STORY
November 05, 2007 The merger of FASA and the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers will probably lead to the AAASC shutting down operations and handing its assets to FASA. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks October 15, 2007 A new Missouri state law that may directly affect only a handful of medical facilities could potentially have a ripple effect and indirectly influence access to abortions all over the country. ... FULL STORY
October 05, 2007 The American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and FASA agreed to merge, the groups announced. The two largest ASC trade groups will become one organization on Jan. 1, 2008—the same date a new payment system for ASCs will kick in under Medicare, setting a new compensation rate of 65% of... ... FULL STORY
September 17, 2007 Some executives in the ambulatory surgery center industry say they are skeptical that new proposed conditions for Medicare coverage announced last month will do much to improve patient care, though hospital industry executives support the CMS’ changes. Regardless, ASC executives say they are... ... FULL STORY
By Gregg Blesch August 20, 2007 HHS’ inspector general’s office recently gave a yellow light to a proposed deal in which a not-for-profit hospital wanted to buy a piece of an ambulatory surgery center from some of the physicians who started it. The advisory opinion, posted on June 19, left at least one lawyer who often works with... ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond April 16, 2007 The $1.8 billion agreement by United Surgical Partners International to sell itself to a private equity firm adds to an already active mergers and acquisitions market, particularly in outpatient care where most physicians make their living. ... FULL STORY
April 02, 2007 A consumer-advocacy group has launched a national campaign to try to reduce conflicts of interest between doctors and the pharmaceutical companies that ply their physician-customers with everything from boxfuls of drug samples to free lunches and generous lecture fees. ... FULL STORY
By Michael Romano April 02, 2007 Four doctors’ groups that provide the majority of primary care to patients in the U.S. have released a set of principles to guide the establishment of a so-called "patient-centered medical home." The model of a medical home, outlined by primary-care groups such as the American... ... FULL STORY
By Melanie Evans March 19, 2007 The Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic scored the first certification for an ambulatory electronic health record not created by a commercial vendor, and officials say it won't be long before they put it on the market. ... FULL STORY
March 05, 2007 Three companies that operate quick-stop health clinics at retail stores agreed to support a set of standards established by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Leawood, Kansas-based doctors’ group announced. ... FULL STORY
February 05, 2007 United Surgical Partners International, Addison, Texas, which operates ambulatory surgery centers -- generally in partnership with not-for-profit hospitals -- agreed to a takeover offer worth about $1.8 billion, including assumed debt. ... FULL STORY
By Craig Jeffries January 22, 2007 On Nov. 1, the CMS released the final rule establishing the list of procedures and payment rates for Medicare ambulatory surgery center services in 2007. ... FULL STORY
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