C.R. Bard and its affiliates — Liberator Medical Supply, Liberator Holdings and Rochester Medical Corporation — agreed to pay $17 million to resolve allegations they provided kickbacks to physician practice groups. 

Republican lawmakers have outlined significant Medicare cuts, which include implementing site-neutral payments, eliminating funding for hospital bad debts and reducing uncompensated care funding. Hospitals' access to special Medicare payment classifications could also be restricted to limit costs.

Both state and federal legislatures are tackling anesthesia-based bills in 2025. Here are four key pieces of legislation to know: 

ASCs must navigate a complex regulatory landscape to mitigate risks during ownership transactions, particularly for multispecialty ASCs. 

AMSURG has acquired a majority ownership interest in Texarkana (Texas) Surgery Center. 

Here are cases of physicians suing their former employers since Jan. 1, 2025, as reported by Becker's:

A pain management physician and his medical practice will pay $3.5 million, among other penalties, to resolve allegations of billing for medically unnecessary testing and pre-signing opioid prescriptions.

A cardiologist has sued Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network, alleging she experienced gender discrimination, unequal pay and a hostile work environment, WFMZ News reported Jan. 22. 

The Indiana state Senate advanced a bill that would ban noncompete agreements for physicians in the state, WNIN reported Jan. 22. 

As consolidation continues to climb across healthcare and more physicians find themselves working for hospitals and large health systems, physician autonomy persists as a central concern among physicians in employed settings.

There are multiple changes that cardiologists and cardiac surgeons would like to see from CMS this year, including payment changes, stopping rate cuts and site neutrality. 

In the 2026 New York State Executive Budget released on Jan. 21, New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed the imposition of a cost market impact review for certain transactions involving healthcare entities in the state, according to a blog post by law firm McDermott Will & Emery.

Wildfires in the Los Angeles area have continued to rage on since Jan. 7, with thousands of people displaced, thousands of structures destroyed and many left homeless. 

Cardiology is the fastest-growing ASC specialty. According to Avanza's 2022 "Key ASC Benchmarks and Industry Figures" report, cardiology procedures saw the highest estimated Medicare payment increases in 2021. 

Here are five numbers on inflation and how its impacting ASCs in 2025:

Orthopedic surgeons, plastic surgeons and cardiologists were named the three highest-paid physician specialists in 2024, according to Medscape. 

Interventional cardiology training has been added to the National Resident Matching Program for the 2025 applicant year, marking the first time that the specialty has been added to The Match, Medscape Medical News reported Jan. 21. 

An Albuquerque-based neurosurgeon, Mark Erasmus, MD, has had his medical license revoked following $19 million in malpractice payouts involving 26 patient claims, the Albuquerque Journal reported Jan. 12. 

Minot, N.D.-based Northwest Dakota Surgery Center has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

Illinois state Rep. Bill Hauter, MD, a Republican, has sponsored a bill making it illegal for insurance companies to place a time limit on anesthesia payment coverage, according to a Jan. 21 report from NPR affiliate WGLT.