Legal/Regulatory Issues Maryland has become the 21st U.S. state to require the use of surgical smoke evacuation systems in its ORs. On May 26, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed House Bill 1087 into law. It goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2028. The law requires all healthcare facilities in Maryland that perform surgical procedures…
According to Triangle Business Journal (link; subscription required), North Carolina lawmakers are advancing legislation to “roll back” parts of the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) law. Senate Bill 1040 (read the full text here) cleared the N.C. Senate Health Committee earlier this month and now heads to the Senate Appropriations/Base…
Insurance Business reports that Allstate has sued Florida Orthopedics and Neurosurgery, which does business as University Orthopedic Care, along with its two owners, “under federal racketeering law, accusing it of running a kickback-driven billing scheme that cost the insurer millions.” In the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the…
The Surgery Center of Southern Oregon (SCSO) in Medford will close on June 30 after nearly three decades of operation. KOBI-TV, which broke the story last week, reported that the closing will cause the loss of 84 jobs. Local health system Asante partly owned SCSO and had worked since October…
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) has published an analysis of Medicare claims from KNG Health Consulting that projects that ASCs will save Medicare $84.8 billion from 2025 to 2034. Previously, stated ASCA, KNG used Medicare claims to determine that ASCs saved Medicare $43.2 billion between 2015 and 2024, and…
People magazine last week reported on a husband’s reaction to his wife’s death at a surgery center. The outlet writes that a 48-year-old woman underwent a 10-hour surgery at a plastic surgery center. She stopped breathing the next day, was revived with CPR, but was pronounced brain-dead. The patient had…
Oregon health system Asante, which last year closed a community hospital citing financial difficulties, is seeking to “dodge state review” of a surgery center purchase, according to The Lund Report, which covers health news in Oregon and Washington. The outlet reports that Asante “quietly asked the state for permission to…
Arkansas news organization Talk Business & Politics (TB&P) reports that a group of state legislators, seeking to “better understand and address constituent concerns” about the future of Baptist Health’s Fort Smith hospital, met with Baptist Health leadership last week for a “listening session” to discuss the situation. State Rep. Ryan…
A general surgeon has posted an opinion piece in General Surgery News that focuses on how rising physician litigation is “reshaping American health care.” Kourtney Kemp, MD, FACS, a general surgeon with Minnesota physician group Specialists in General Surgery, writes, “Healthcare costs are rising, access is shrinking, clinical complexity is increasing,…
Salisbury, Md., CBS affiliate WBOC-TV reports that a Talbot County jury has awarded nearly $1 million to a 76-year-old patient who claims a general surgeon at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center (UMSMC) in Easton, Md., failed to properly diagnose and treat his stomach issue during surgery, which led to permanent…
