Business

At a time when Maryland hospitals are under pressure to reduce wait times and control costs, more of them are turning to a rapidly expanding firm backed by private equity to operate their emergency departments. An Ohio-based company called U.S. Acute Care Solutions, or USACS, will soon expand from operating one emergency department for the University of Maryland Medical System to 10, increasing its already sizable footprint in the state.

Help is available Tuesday for those with insurance-related questions regarding the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the Maryland Insurance Administration said Monday. Virtual “disaster center” sessions will be held Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The agency will offer 10-minute presentations followed by breakout sessions with representatives of state and federal agencies.

A Rockville-based manufacturer of pickleball and table tennis equipment will more than triple its footprint when it expands into a new headquarters over the course of the next year. Joola has inked a lease for 35,000 square feet at 915 Meeting St., in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose mixed-use development. The company currently operates out of 10,000 square feet at 2101 Gaither Road In Rockville.

The magnitude of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and the closure of the Port of Baltimore is beginning to sink in for a variety of business owners in Baltimore, such as Nicholas Johnson from Su Casa Furniture in Fells Point. Before the bridge’s collapse, Johnson wasn’t aware that the Port of Baltimore was a main hub for plywood. He worries how this may affect his furnishing business, but also how the port’s closure may impact Baltimore’s small business economy.

Dawn Myers understands what it takes to style textured hair, and it’s not just because she’s a Black woman, a cancer survivor and a businesswoman. She’s also a problem solver. Myers, 38, said she founded her company, The Most Inc., five years ago when she saw many people — primarily women of color — struggling to manage their hair. All the while, major conglomerates were making money off the same group of customers without understanding them “well enough to solve their problems.”

Sage Health, a value-based health care company that serves seniors with primary care, cardiology and wellness services, opened its third location in Maryland Wednesday. The new Sage Health center, located in the Waverly neighborhood at 1100 E. 33rd St., will be the third in the area, joining already open locations in Halethorpe (3541 Washington Blvd.) and Woodlawn (6660 Security Blvd.).

Lobbying from national companies and their local representatives, and differences in approach between state Senate and House members, thwarted a push in Maryland this session to cap resale prices for event tickets. State lawmakers, though, say they still passed first-in-the-nation consumer protections against predatory sales practices.

A recently closed movie theater won’t be shuttered for long, and Harford County residents might recognize the new tenant. AMC announced the closure of its Churchville location earlier this week, officially shutting its doors Sunday. On Thursday, Flagship Premium Cinemas revealed it will take over the theater, making its return to the venue more than 20 years after it first opened there.