Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1260323
11 ASC MANAGEMENT Optum in talks to acquire virtual therapy provider for $470M, sources say — 4 details By Angie Stewart UnitedHealth's Optum division could acquire virtual therapy provider AbleTo for about $470 million, according to CNBC. Four things to know: 1. People familiar with the deal told CNBC Optum is in talks with AbleTo, one of many telehealth providers seeing a spike in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2. In 2019, Optum's venture arm made a significant investment in Able- To, which had also raised money from Aetna and Bain Capital Ventures. "AbleTo is changing the way people access and experience behavioral health care, and we look forward to working with AbleTo to drive further innovative solutions," Optum Ventures partner Stephen Renfro said in a press release on that investment. 3. Representatives from Optum and AbleTo declined to give CNBC a statement on the potential transaction. 4. Optum's previous acquisitions include DaVita Medical Group and Vivify Health, a patient-monitoring startup. n USPI reports $490M Q1 operating revenue, surgical cases drop 28.6% in March: 5 details By Laura Dyrda T enet's ambulatory segment reported patient volume declines during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many elective procedures were can- celed or postponed and surgery centers were temporarily closed. Five things to know: 1. Tenet reported $94 million in net income, up from a $20 million net loss during the first quarter of 2019. Net operating revenue for United Surgical Partners International, Tenet's ASC business, was $490 million in the first quarter, up from $480 million in the same period last year. 2. The company is shifting focus to resume vital elective procedures at its ASCs and hospital departments. USPI reported a substantial number of its centers closed or have been operated under limited hours during the pandemic. 3. USPI's same-facility surgical cases dropped 8.5 percent during the quarter, and same-facility total ambulatory cases were down 4.3 percent. USPI's facility net patient services revenue hit $1 billion for the quarter, which is similar to the revenue for the first quarter of 2019. 4. Surgical cases grew 2 percent in January and February, while they dropped 28.6 percent in March due to the pandemic. 5. USPI ended the quarter with 265 ASCs under operation as well as 24 surgical hospitals, 39 urgent care centers and 23 imaging centers. n Top 29 physician salaries for 2020 By Eric Oliver M edscape released its Physician Com- pensation Report 2020, examining how COVID-19 affected clinician salaries. Medscape surveyed 17,461 clinicians across more than 30 specialties from across the U.S. between Oct. 4, 2019, to Feb. 10, 2020. Gastroenterologists made up 2 percent of survey respondents. Here are the top 29 annual physician salaries: Orthopedics: $511,000 Plastic surgery: $479,000 ENT: $455,000 Cardiology: $438,000 Radiology: $427,000 Gastroenterology: $419,000 Urology: $417,000 Dermatology: $411,000 Anesthesiology: $398,000 Ophthalmology: $378,000 Oncology: $377,000 General surgery: $364,000 Emergency medicine: $357,000 Critical care: $355,000 Pulmonary medicine: $342,000 Pathology: $318,000 Physical medicine: $308,000 OB-GYN: $308,000 Nephrology: $306,000 Allergy: $301,000 Neurology: $280,000 Psychiatry: $268,000 Rheumatology: $262,000 Internal medicine: $251,000 Infectious disease: $246,000 Diabetes: $236,000 Family medicine: $234,000 Public health: $232,000 Pediatrics: $232,000 n