Becker's ASC Review

62 QUALITY Bill to repeal physician- owned hospital ban introduced in U.S. House By Rachel Popa A bipartisan bill to repeal the ACA's morato- rium on new physician-owned hospitals was introduced June 4, according to InsideHealth- Policy. The key details to know: 1. The bill, called the Patient Access to Higher Qual- ity Health Care Act of 2019, was introduced by Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. 2. Mr. Burgess previously drafted a letter to CMS with 30 House lawmakers asking it use the innovation cen- ter to run a demonstration focusing on the expansion of physician-owned hospitals. 3. HHS released a report in December asking Con- gress to consider repealing the ACA rule limiting physician-owned hospitals. n Illinois ASC owner sues generic drug companies: 3 details By Rachel Popa A Southern Illinois physician is suing McKesson Corp. and other general drug companies, accusing them of collud- ing to fix prices for their drugs, according to local ABC news affiliate WSIL-TV. Key lawsuit details: 1. Tom Pliura, MD, owner of Marion (Ill.) HealthCare said the increasing cost of generic medications and set reimbursement rates from government payers have forced the surgery center in his clinic to turn away patients because either his clinic or the patient must cover medication costs that Medicare and Medicaid won't. 2. Dr. Pliura's filed his lawsuit last year, months before a recent national lawsuit accusing pharmaceutical companies of wrongdo- ing. The national suit, including 44 states, accuses the companies of taking billions from consumers by colluding to raise prices. 3. An investigation before the national lawsuit was filed found the price of a generic asthma medication had increased more than 4,000 percent over the course of a year. n REGISTER BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2018 AND SAVE! KEYNOTES BY 26 TH ANNUAL MEETING: THE BUSINESS & OPERATIONS OF ASCS OCTOBER 24-26, 2019 SWISSOTEL | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 185 SPEAKERS, INCLUDING 200+ SPEAKERS Register here at www.beckersasc.com/annual- ambulatory-surgery-centers-conference/ Call 800-417-2035 or email Jessica Cole at jcole@beckershealthcare.com or Scott Becker at sbecker@beckershealthcare.com The Best Business-Focused, Strategic Discussions in the ASC Industry with a Special AEU Credit Track BECKER'S ASC REVIEW Kevin O'Leary MBA, Chairman, O'Shares ETF Investments, and Star ABC's Shark Tank Mel Robbins Serial Entrepreneur, Best-Selling Author, Internationally Recognized Social Media Influencer and Motivational Speaker Tucker Carlson Host, Tucker Carlson Tonight and Founder, The Daily Caller

• Cover