The Business of Surgery Axios has published a report that examines how “an overhaul of how Medicare pays hospitals for joint replacements could pare hundreds of millions of dollars in program spending while getting facilities to pay closer attention to the cost and quality of care.” The report was prompted by CMS’ expansion of…
According to local media reports, Vandalia Health’s CAMC Memorial Hospital of Charleston, W.Va., has confirmed that it is closing its outpatient SurgiCare facility on Aug 28. CAMC shared this statement with WCHS-TV: “The decision was made to close SurgiCare based on overall utilization of the operating rooms with the goal…
After signing a non-binding letter of intent in April, Fulton County Medical Center (FCMC) of McConnellsburg, Pa., has signed a definitive affiliation agreement that will lead to it joining the West Virginia University Health System, which operates as WVU Medicine. Under the definitive agreement, WVU Medicine is committing up to $17 million over the next seven…
Over a dozen surgical organizations today urged CMS to ensure that its episode-based payment models support the use of non-opioid pain management therapies. The request was made in a letter to CMS Deputy Administrator Abe Sutton that was led by Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, “a nonpartisan coalition that works to…
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and over a dozen other organizations today urged CMS to ensure that its episode-based payment models support the use of non-opioid pain management therapies. The request was made in a letter to CMS Deputy Administrator Abe Sutton that was led by Voices for Non-Opioid…
Robotic platforms for surgery are major capital investments for any facility or health system. But once the hype and the initial excitement dies down and the robots are online, are you really getting optimum value out of the investment? We’ve heard anecdotally numerous times over the last few years how…
Knox Community Hospital in Mount Vernon, Ohio, announced that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent to join Western Ohio nonprofit health system Kettering Health to “strengthen local access to care.” “Throughout this evaluation, our focus has been on finding the right long-term path for Knox Community Hospital and…
A new study published in Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases evaluates “the time-adjusted economics of retinal and cataract surgery” in an effort to clarify how the “dynamics” of ASCs “influence access to urgent care.” The study, “A Comparative Time-Based Profit Analysis of Retinal and Cataract Surgery in Ambulatory Surgery Centers,” applied…
Regional health system Intermountain Health proposed some major moves over the last week. Most recently, it announced expansion plans in Southeast Idaho, where it has collaboratively owned a local health network with Surgery Partners and physicians since 2023. Intermountain and Surgery Partners have now “placed into escrow signature pages to…
Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to enter into a strategic partnership to join Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health. Erlanger stated the proposed partnership with its fellow nonprofit health system would position it for “long-term sustainability, growth, innovation and success.” The proposed partnership would…
