Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1208835
12 ASC MANAGEMENT and East Mountain Health Physicians part- nered to build a 40,000-square-foot ambula- tory care center in Martinsburg, W.Va. Wheeling (W.Va.) Hospital will open an ASC in Bridgeport, W.Va., to accommodate the healthcare needs of Bellaire, W.Va., and Bridgeport, W.Va., residents. Vancouver (Wash.) Clinic was granted ap- proval for a new ASC. Wisconsin Glendale-based Ascension Wisconsin held a ceremonial groundbreaking on its $42 mil- lion medical center with an ASC. Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists and Ascension Wisconsin also teamed up to build an orthopedic ASC in Fox Crossing, Wis. Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care opened a $55.5 million outpatient surgery center Aug. 2. Bellin Orthopedic Surgery Center in Green Bay, Wis., completed a 13,000-square-foot expansion to its surgery center. n Cigna drops Dignity Health surgery centers after contract negotiations fail — 4 insights By Eric Oliver C igna dropped San Francisco-based Dignity Health from its network after the organizations failed to come to an agreement over payment rates before a Jan. 1 deadline, the VC Star reports. What you should know: 1. Cigna covered more than 16,000 Dignity Health pa- tients across California. Dignity had been in network with Cigna since the 1990s. 2. Some Cigna customers will remain in the network for a short time. Cigna's PPO and HMO customers will lose access to Dignity Health providers on Feb. 1 and April 1, respectively. 3. Cigna and Dignity blamed each other for the break- down. Cigna argued Dignity is asking for too high of a reimbursement rate, while Dignity argued Cigna is trying to cut its reimbursement rate too much. 4. A Cigna official said talks with Dignity have stalled and are not continuing. n Michigan pain clinic owner who distributed 500,000 unnecessary pills gets 11 years in prison By Laura Dyrda S hirley Douglas, the former owner of a Southfield, Mich., pain clinic, was sentenced to prison Dec. 19 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distributed controlled substances. Four things to know: 1. Ms. Douglas owned a pain and physical therapy clinic that distributed medically unnecessary controlled substances such as oxycodone, oxy- morphone and alprazolam. The drugs were distributed through selling of appointments with physicians and their pain clinics. 2. The Department of Justice said Ms. Douglas distributed more than 500,000 oxycodone pills at the clinic. 3. Ms. Douglas pleaded guilty in September, and her co-defendant Malik Fuqua pleaded guilty in November. Mr. Fuqua is scheduled for sentencing in February. 4. Ms. Douglas was sentenced to 11 years in prison. n Investment firm acquires ASC, 3 ophthalmology practices in St. Louis By Rachel Popa T he Firmament Group, an investment firm specializing in small and medium-sized businesses, invested in an ASC and three ophthal- mology practices in St. Louis and appointed a CEO to lead its eyecare strategy. The investment adds to Firmament's portfolio of ophthalmology practices in South Florida and Northern California. Jim Wachtman will be CEO. n