Aetna has named MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland, an Aetna Institute of Quality Orthopedic Care Facility in the areas of spine surgery and joint replacement, according to a mLIVE report.

MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland announced that it has been designated an Aetna Institute of Quality Orthopedic Care Facility for total joint replacement and spine surgery.

Along with CMS naming 106 new members to its Medicare Shared Savings Program this month, several commercial payors have also recently added organizations to their accountable care programs.

Here is a list of 18 ACOs that have been announced in the last two months, in alphabetical order by payor. (Note: Number 5 alone involves 10 ACOs.)

The following commercial accountable care organizations or arrangements were announced since June, beginning with the most recent.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake (Texas) has been designated an Aetna Institute of Quality in the area of spine surgery, according to a news release.

In the Medscape Insurer Ratings Report 2011, physicians listed the companies with the greatest frequency of denials, with United Healthcare at the front of the pack. The responses were collected from 10,214 physician surveys and included only those that specified a specific answer. Here are 11 statistics about who gives physicians the highest denial rate:

The National Health Insurer Report Card released data on Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation, Humana, Regence, UnitedHealthcare and Medicare. The data was gathered from 380 physician practices between February and March 2012.

Hoag Orthopedic Institute has entered into a partnership with McKesson and Aetna to create the first automated implementation of the Integrated Healthcare Association's bundled payment model.

This article was written by John A. Mills, JD, an associate with Fenton Nelson's litigation and compliance groups, in response to a recent lawsuit filed by Aetna against Bay Area Surgical Management LLC, alleging the surgery centers illegally induced its physician investors to refer their patients to the surgery centers with promises that the patients would not have any financial responsibility to the surgery centers for their out-of-network coinsurance and deductibles. Mr. Mills has a wide range of experience representing and advising healthcare professionals, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and other provider clients in a variety of business and civil litigation and regulatory matters.

Here are the top three ASC payors by volume for orthopedics by CMS region, according GENASCIS's database of information from more than 700 ASCs across the country.