Nearly half of physicians (49%) believe that it is acceptable to breach patient confidentiality in the name of protecting the help of others, according to the second part of Medscape's "Hot Topics in the Medical Profession Report 2024," published Oct. 9.

Sylvan Lake, Mich., physician Rainna Furnari Brazil, DO, has pleaded guilty to eight felony counts of disability insurance fraud under an 11-month delayed sentence. 

Here are three ASC closures and bankruptcies that Becker's reported on in the third financial quarter:

From clinic closures to false claims settlements, here are four updates from retail giant Walgreens since Sept. 4:

Village Medical has shuttered obstetrics service at its practice in Colorado and will no longer offer care to women during pregnancy or childbirth at its offices in Fort Collins, Colo., the Coloradoan reported Oct. 7.

As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, dozens of healthcare facilities in the state are shuttering as residents prepare to evacuate, according to an Oct. 7 report from ABC News.

Healthcare is 17.3% of U.S. GDP, and spending in the sector grew by 4.1% in 2022. But the industry comprises numerous subsectors, leading some to question the long-held concept that healthcare is "recession proof," according to an Oct. 3 viewpoint published in Medpage. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement have arrested a physician amid murder, manslaughter and racketeering allegations, following a multiyear investigation involving "an illegal drug ring," the department said in an Oct. 4 release. 

Over the last 10 years, 77% of physicians have shifted away from independent practice and into employed models. 

A physician assistant in Charlotte, N.C., was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a $10 million genetic testing Medicare fraud scheme. 

A Hamilton County (Ind.) jury awarded a Carmel physician $2.05 million after determining that Indianapolis-based Ascension St. Vincent Medical Group had improperly fired him, Indianapolis Business Journal reported Oct. 7. 

On Sept. 24, the New Orleans-based St. Charles Surgical Hospital and Center for Restorative Breast Surgery was awarded $421 million by a jury in a lawsuit that alleged Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana failed to fully pay for out-of-network charges. 

AI growth across healthcare is occuring at a rapid clip. In an Oct. 6 article published by Forbes, contributor Randy Bean sat down with leaders at the Cleveland Clinic to discuss its approach and strategies to implementing AI across an organization with 81,000 employees worldwide. 

The American College of Radiology and the FDA have launched a joint effort to make new AI products more readily available within the specialty, Radiology Business reported Oct. 7. 

A car crashed into a medical office building in East Greenwich, R.I., on Oct. 1, according to an report from NBC affiliate WJAR.

Medical office building space in Jacksonville, Fla., is rapidly shrinking in comparison to tenant needs, according to a Sept. 30 report from the Jacksonville Business Journal. 

There are several proactive strategies physicians can take to safeguard from the rise in malpractice suits, Medical Economics reported Oct. 1. 

Here are five payer moves in September for ASCs to know, as reported by Becker's:

Becker's reported on 10 hospital closures in the third financial quarter of this year, and this shift may lead to an increase in volume for ASCs, as patients seek alternatives after losing access to services previously offered at hospitals. 

A physician who ran an addiction treatment practice in Merrillville, Ind., has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty to healthcare fraud.