Author: Alan Condon

Two members of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors in Warsaw, N.Y., said claims that a box of human resource documents contained negative information about orthopedic surgeon Paul Mason, MD, were not true, Livingston County News reported May 21.

Healthcare workforce shortages have increased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitals and health systems across the country battle to attract and retain talent, including primary and specialty physicians, nurses and administrative staff.

Consolidation has snowballed among orthopedic groups over the last two years as independent providers strategize to maintain autonomy and capitalize on the shift to value-based care.

The Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics has begun building an $18.7 million surgery center in Tyler, Tenn., the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported May 24.

Commercial payers' acquisition sprees and direct-to-employer contracting are two of the biggest trends providers should be paying attention to as healthcare costs continue to rise and independent practices fight to maintain their autonomy.

Hospitals performed more than 100,000 "unnecessary" procedures on older Americans in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including 30,094 spine surgeries, according to a May analysis published by the Lown Institute.

In 2016, four orthopedic groups merged to form Durham, N.C.-based EmergeOrtho, which added a fifth group the following year. Since then, the statewide orthopedic group has expanded to more than 140 physicians and 46 locations.

Huntsville, Ala.-based SportsMed Orthopedic Surgery & Spine Center is the latest practice to join U.S. Orthopaedic Partners, a private equity-backed management services organization.

Healthgrades released its 2022 Joint Replacement Award May 10, which recognized 117 hospitals across 27 states for superior clinical outcomes in total hip and knee replacement.

An increasing number of physicians are exiting private practice to join hospitals or other corporate entities, leaving just 26 percent of physicians as independent practitioners in 2022, according to an April report from Avalere.