In July 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed sweeping changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for calendar year 2026. Among the most impactful updates is the launch of the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM)—a mandatory value-based payment program focused on heart failure and low back pain.…
Editor's Note Philips Respironics BiPAP A30, A40, and V30 Auto ventilators are subject to a Class 1 recall—the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death—due to the risk for a failure in the Ventilator Inoperative alarm, which can cause therapy interruption…
Running an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) is not for the faint of heart. ASC leaders are navigating tight margins, stricter-than-ever quality reporting, lean staffing resources, payer squeeze, and a relentless push to be profitable without proper support. And yet, the ASC market is booming. The number of Medicare-certified ASCs has…
Editor's Note Nearly half of hospital harm events—particularly surgical events—were not captured by reporting systems, according to a July 30 TechTarget report on new findings from the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG report examined 299 harm events experienced by a nationally representative sample of 770 Medicare patients discharged…
Editor's Note As part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) newly issued 2026 Final Rule, the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) will hold hospitals and health systems accountable for the entire episode of care for major surgeries, from admission through 30 days post-discharge. HIT Consultant reported the…
Editor's Note The Trump administration paused new NIH research grants and contracts, prompting widespread concern before abruptly reversing course, according to a July 30 article in Forbes. Citing a separate report in STAT, the article details how the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed the NIH to suspend new…
Editor's Note A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore health-related webpages and datasets removed under a January executive order, according to a July 29 article in Medscape. The ruling follows a lawsuit by Doctors for America and the city and county of San Francisco, which argued that…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission has launched a new strategy to revise its accreditation and certification programs to better reflect the distinct needs of pediatric care. According to a July 29 announcement, the effort responds to requests from the children’s health community and aims to revise or remove standards that…
Editor's Note Regular check-ins and visible leadership can help ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) head off legal trouble before it starts. That is the central message from employment attorney Salvatore Puccio on a recent episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, Ambulatory Surgery Center News July 23 reports. Puccio, a partner…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated the recall of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC’s Endopath Echelon Vascular White Reload for Advanced Placement Tip a Class I, the most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death. As detailed in the agency’s July 25 announcement, the recall…