Here are three joint ventures and partnerships Becker's has reported on since Jan. 4:

UnitedHealth Group is the target of a Justice Department antitrust investigation, according to The Wall Street Journal. Investigators are zeroing in on the company's ownership across sectors, including physician groups, pharmacy drug benefits and a major health plan.

HCA Healthcare's ASC business Surgery Ventures has made major moves in the first two months of 2024.

The ASC market in the U.S. was valued at $36.54 billion and is projected to reach $53.67 billion by 2029.

VMG Health laid out the valuation multiples of the two ASC chains and two parent companies of ASC chains in a January report. 

Six medical office buildings totaling 145,308 square feet in Florence, Fort Mitchell, Crittenden, Walton, Alexandria and Butler have sold, according to a Feb. 19 report from REBusiness Online.

The fragmentation of the ASC market is primed for acquisitions at the individual facility level, according to a January report from VMG Health. 

Provider credentialing is a critical yet often overlooked element to successful revenue cycle management (RCM). Across the healthcare industry, there is a lack of awareness about how an efficient, accurate credentialing system can streamline medical practices’ RCM workflows and assist in capturing revenue that may otherwise be lost or delayed. This is because the connection between the benefits of a credentialing platform and the RCM function is not always intuitive nor immediately clear, causing departments to be siloed. However, bridging the gap between credentialing and RCM functions is essential for preventing revenue loss, reimbursement delays, and other challenges — and ultimately aids in bolstering practice efficiency and financial stability.

Achieving financial success in an ASC has become more difficult in recent years, with a growing list of challenges threatening and straining the bottom line. With less room for error, surgery centers are seeking solutions that can help them better navigate and overcome these barriers to viability and profitability. Revenue cycle outsourcing is one solution growing in popularity throughout the ASC industry and is becoming a preferred option for de novo centers.

A Midland, Mich.-based building housing the Great Lakes Bay Surgery & Endoscopy Center has sold for $9.8 million, according to a Feb. 16 report from REBusiness Online.

Although 68% of the ASC market remains independent, the industry saw continued consolidation in 2023, according to a recent report from VMG Health. 

The net inflation adjustment for ASCs is 3.1% in 2024, a full percentage point higher than the average since 2015.

It's been nearly one year since Amazon finalized its $3.9 billion acquisition of virtual and in-person primary care company One Medical. 

 The number of centers under management by the five largest ASC management companies has seen a compound annual growth rate of 4.85% since 2011, according to a February report from VMG Health. 

The percentage of ASCs that are independent shrunk from 70% to 68% from 2022 to 2023, according to a February report from VMG Health. 

Banner Health has sold a three-building outpatient medical building portfolio in Arizona for $32 million, according to a Feb. 15 report from REBusiness Online.

As physicians move away from private practice toward employment models, five major healthcare disruptors have been making waves in the race to acquire them. 

A two-building medical office portfolio in Carmel, Ind., has sold, according to a Feb. 14 report from REBusiness Online.

The 86,000-square-foot University Hospitals Wellness Campus medical office building in Mentor, Ohio, has sold, according to a Feb. 14 report from Commercial Property Executive. 

Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International, Tenet Healthcare's ASC arm, is the largest ASC chain in the country, with interest in 461 ASCs and 24 surgical hospitals throughout 35 states.