Springfield, Pa.-based Crozer-Keystone Health System reached an agreement to join Cigna's network, providing Cigna Medicare Advantage customers access to all Crozer-Keystone facilities.  By Eric Oliver - 1/16/20

WhidbeyHealth in Coupeville, Wash. is recruiting surgeons to increase its volume of outpatient surgeries as it attempts to cut losses and increase revenue, according to local newspaper the South Whidbey Record.  By Rachel Popa - 1/15/20

Texas recently passed legislation that generally prohibits the practice of balance billing in cases where patients can't choose their medical provider, according to law firm Gray Reed.  By Angie Stewart - 1/14/20

New and interesting and complex procedures such as cardiology, orthopedic and spine are being performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) which makes this a particularly interesting time for the space.  By Nader Samii, CEO, National Medical Billing Services - 1/14/20

A new policy that steers patients getting colonoscopies away from hospital outpatient departments and into ASCs is stirring up controversy in Minnesota, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  By Rachel Popa - 1/13/20

Private equity firm Osceola Capital acquired Healthcents, a company focused on helping small and medium healthcare providers optimize their payer contracting and growth strategies.  By Angie Stewart - 1/10/20

The most popular stories related to ASC finances in 2019 were ones detailing CMS updates, physician compensation, fraud schemes and insurer programs.  By Angie Stewart - 1/10/20

The Michigan Senate Health Policy and Human Services Committee held a hearing on certificate-of-need reform Jan. 8, Crain's Detroit Business reports.  By Eric Oliver - 1/9/20

  Accurate coding is essential to the smooth running of an ASC, according to ASC software developer Surgical Information Systems.  By Rachel Popa - 1/8/20

Due to the nonelective nature of orthopedic surgery, rising patient deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, and general confusion over medical billing, the median bad debt for orthopedic practices is nearly $50,000, MarketScale reported based on a 2019 Medical Group Management Association report.  By Angie Stewart - 1/8/20

Two San Diego-area ophthalmology specialists paid the federal government nearly $950,000 to settle allegations that they falsely billed Medicare in violation of the False Claims Act, the Department of Justice announced Jan. 2.  By Angie Stewart - 1/3/20

Six key revenue cycle from ASC experts:   By Rachel Popa - 1/2/20

Today's healthcare providers face heightened scrutiny amid declining levels of reimbursement. In this environment, cutting costs is one way that ASCs can improve profitability. This isn't a sustainable strategy, however, since it can prompt a race to the bottom mentality. A better approach is to increase revenues.  By Contego - 1/2/20

Cigna dropped San Francisco-based Dignity Health from its network after the organizations failed to come to an agreement over payment rates before a Jan. 1 deadline, the VC Star reports.  By Eric Oliver - 1/2/20

Cigna will drop San Francisco-based Dignity Health from its network on Jan. 1, the San Francisco Business Times reports.  By Eric Oliver - 12/27/19

ASCs will likely be required to report cost data in the near future because of increasing demand for price transparency in healthcare, according to Health Capital Consultants.  By Angie Stewart - 12/19/19

The ASC payment landscape is changing rapidly, with more ASCs adopting patient financing options and price transparency policies.Tyler Crawford, CEO of ASC and hospital patient financing partner BHG Patient Lending, shared his thoughts on the ASC payment landscape with Becker's ASC Review.  By Rachel Popa - 12/17/19

Tyler Crawford, CEO of BHG Patient Lending, answers four questions that examine how hospitals can improve the patient experience through patient lending.  By Laura Dyrda - 12/17/19

Site-neutral payments have been in the news again with fresh challenges from the American Hospital Association.  By Laura Dyrda - 12/17/19

Nick Vailas, co-founder of Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center, launched Patriot Health Partners, a cooperative focused on lower costs for independent physicians and healthcare providers, the New Hampshire UnionLeader reports.  By Eric Oliver - 12/16/19