Distalmotion targets ASC gynecology programs with new FDA filing Distalmotion has submitted a 510(k) application to the FDA seeking to expand the label of its Dexter robotic surgery system into additional gynecological indications, the company announced April 1. The filing covers sacrocolpopexy, sacrocervicopexy and endometriosis resection. Sacrocolpopexy and sacrocervicopexy are procedures used to treat pelvic organ prolapse; endometriosis resection removes tissue growing outside the … [Read more...]

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) spent 163 years perfecting orthopedic care in its core markets. It's now taking that model national. Dr. Bryan Kelly, the CEO of HSS, still operates on patients. Not every day, but maybe a day and a half a week, squeezed between board meetings, strategic planning sessions and the general demands of running one of the most recognized orthopedic institutions in the world. But he still does surgeries. And establishing this detail matters, because it tells you … [Read more...]

The final deadline for the 2026 Future Leaders Awards program is almost here. Final entries are due Wednesday, April 15, 2026 by 11:59pm CDT. The Future Leaders Awards program shines a well-deserved spotlight on the providers and vendors who are transforming the future of the ambulatory surgery center industry. A Future Leader is: A high-performing employee, 40 years of age or younger, shaping the future of care delivery A passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into … [Read more...]

A favorable advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) gives ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) a look at how the watchdog views succession planning, family ownership transfers and physician investment under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. In Advisory Opinion 26-04, OIG said it would not impose administrative sanctions on a California Medicare-certified ASC tied to a three-phase ownership transfer plan built around the … [Read more...]

The Leapfrog Group is expanding its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) public reporting program. That move, according to Leapfrog, will bring patient safety and quality data on nearly 4,000 ASCs into public view beginning in late July. The nonprofit watchdog, which has long focused on transparency in hospital safety and quality, claims the redesigned initiative will combine federal quality data, accreditation-based measures and results from a revised ASC survey in an effort to give patients, … [Read more...]

Ambulatory Surgery Center News’ parent company, WTWH Media, has acquired HealthLeaders, a media and events platform serving hospital and health system executives – a move that expands the company's health care portfolio and strengthens its ability to connect decision-makers across an increasingly interconnected care continuum. The combination with HealthLeaders’ executive community and flagship Exchange events will deepen insight and engagement around major industry pressures such as … [Read more...]

A bipartisan House bill introduced March 25 would permanently extend a more favorable Medicare inflation update for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). It would also block another type of payment adjustment that the industry argues could hold ASC reimbursement down. The legislation – the Outpatient Surgery Access Act of 2026 – was introduced by Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and John Larson (D-Conn). If enacted, it would align annual payment updates for ASCs with hospital outpatient … [Read more...]

For years, ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operators have faced a basic reimbursement dilemma in post-surgical pain care. Opioids are cheap and easy to use, while some non-opioid alternatives are harder to justify from a payment perspective. The Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act is meant to address that conundrum. The law, enacted in late 2022 and effective Jan. 1, 2025, temporarily allows separate Medicare payment for qualifying non-opioid drugs, biologics and … [Read more...]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on Thursday, alleging the health system used insurer contract terms to block lower-cost health plan designs that could steer patients to competing providers, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The civil antitrust complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claims that NewYork-Presbyterian violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by restricting insurers from offering what the … [Read more...]

Higher H-1B visa costs could worsen surgeon shortages in the communities that already have the fewest options for care, a new JAMA Surgery research letter suggests. The piece serves as a warning with implications for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) as they compete for physicians and expand access to outpatient services. Researchers found that 662 surgeons were sponsored for H-1B visas in fiscal 2024, accounting for 0.37% of the nation’s 176,616 surgeons. While a small share of the … [Read more...]