Ambulatory Surgery Center Association

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is delaying the implementation of its five-year prior-authorization demonstration for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Originally, the prior-auth demo was set to go live in December 2025 across all participating states: California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia and New York. Now, the demo will be rolled out in two phases. ASCs in California, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, … [Read more...]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, which, as always, has a few key takeaways for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The agency says the rule is focused on modernizing payment accuracy by finalizing an “efficiency adjustment” for select services and a one-time 2.5% increase in physician payments. “CMS is working to strengthen and transform Medicare for current and future generations while cracking … [Read more...]

The federal government officially shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to reach agreement on a short-term spending bill. The immediate fallout will mean furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and stalled services across multiple agencies. For ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), the impact may not be as direct as it is for hospitals or other federally funded programs, but industry leaders say ripple effects could be on the horizon if Congress does not act soon. “If … [Read more...]

While once mostly used mainly in hospitals, electronic health record systems (EHRs) are growing in popularity in outpatient settings. Yet integrating EHRs in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) setting, where margins are tight and staff limited, is no small feat. Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center President Melissa Rice said the payoff is worth it. “Upfront, it could look a little mundane, but it also then saves you time on the back end,” Rice said on ASCA’s Advancing Surgical Care Podcast. … [Read more...]

Electronic health record (EHR) usage among ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continues to climb. That’s according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s (ASCA) July 2025 60-Second Survey. The survey found that 76% of ASCs now use an EHR. That’s the highest percentage since ASCA began asking the question in 2021, reflecting the increasing importance of EHR technology. “It's probably a few industry [and] health care trends happening simultaneously,” ASCA regulatory counsel Alex … [Read more...]

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is calling for big changes to how – and where – surgical procedures are performed. Specifically, federal regulators are pushing to eliminate the Medicare Inpatient Only List (IPO) while significantly expanding the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL). The agency floated those plans on July 15 when it released its 2026 ASC payment system proposed rule. While there’s much to unpack in the more than 900-page proposed rule, such … [Read more...]

Drug diversion in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) is more common than most operators realize. And the consequences of not taking the topic seriously are far-reaching. Although the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) inspects ASCs less commonly than hospitals, that doesn't mean these facilities are off the hook, Dennis Wichern, a retired DEA agent and partner at Prescription Drug Consulting, said during a recent Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) webinar. “The odds of DEA knocking … [Read more...]

In March, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force, an initiative meant to eliminate laws and regulations that “undermine free market competition.” Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) stakeholders are already playing an important role in the task force’s mission. “This Antitrust Division will stand against harmful barriers to competition whether imposed by public regulators or private monopolists,” Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the … [Read more...]

Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders are rallying behind new bipartisan legislation that aims to eliminate a cost disparity that advocates of the bill say is driving up expenses for seniors and steering them away from lower-cost surgical settings. If enacted, the Medicare Beneficiary Co-Pay Fairness Act of 2025 would cap Medicare co-payments for procedures performed in ASCs at the same level already applied to hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). The bill was introduced in the U.S. … [Read more...]

As legislative scrutiny of facility fees intensifies in North Carolina and elsewhere, ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders are working overtime to protect what some say is the bedrock of funding for outpatient care. Facility fees, often misunderstood and frequently politicized, are now at the center of proposed legislation in multiple states, including model language introduced in North Carolina’s budget bill. While lawmakers aim to crack down on billing practices that raise patient … [Read more...]