CMS aims to refine Stark Law regulations on indirect compensation arrangements for physician referrals to services performed by immediate family members.

Payer policies and strategies are evolving as more surgeries become approved in the outpatient setting.

An ASC's revenue and profits are directly linked to its front-end processes.

Springfield (Ill.) Clinic and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois have not been able to negotiate an extension of their in-network contract for PPO health plan members, which means 100,000 patients will be considered out-of-network for its ASC as of Aug. 19.

A Rockville, Md.-based spine and pain center chain will pay millions to resolve Medicare fraud claims.

Aetna, a CVS Health company, is one of the largest insurers, serving roughly 39 million people nationwide. 

Lakeside Orthopedic Institute in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., uses ability and growth to leverage payer contracts. 

Eric Evans, CEO of Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners, addressed investor questions about how the CMS 2022 proposed payment rule would affect its ASC business.

Surgical Notes has acquired Zulu Health, an ASC-focused revenue cycle management provider, Surgical Notes said Aug. 3. 

While CMS proposed removing 258 recently added procedures from the ASC-payable list in its 2022 proposed payment rule, another policy change would add some procedures and improve payment for hundreds of others in the outpatient setting.

If finalized, the proposed CMS 2022 Hospital Outpatient Payment Prospective System and ASC Payment System rule may have lasting ramifications for ASCs and the healthcare system.

An Arizona ASC will have to revamp its complaint against Cigna to recover $5.6 million by next month, or it will be dismissed entirely.

ASCs have long struggled to secure reimbursements — with CMS' proposal to remove 258 procedures from the ASC payable list, leaders are concerned that securing payment could become even more challenging. 

Mark Reinford predicts consolidation amongst big payers and consolidation in fee schedules in the payer market in the next five years. 

ASCs often can struggle to leverage payer contracts in comparison to larger hospitals and health systems. 

ASCs can often offer higher-quality care at lower rates, making it a prime location for direct contracting. 

The proposed 2022 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and ASC Payment System would remove 258 procedures from the ASC payable list if finalized later this year.

CMS issued the 2022 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and ASC Payment System proposed rule July 19, which includes some big updates for ASCs.

CMS proposed reversing some of the policy changes ASC executives celebrated last year.

As higher-acuity procedures move outpatient, independent ASCs could have difficulty securing reimbursements.