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...]
Facility Fees Under Fire: ASC Leaders Warn of Future Fallout
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...]
Majority of ASCs Now Administering OAS CAHPS Survey, ASCA Finds
A new survey from the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) found that a significant majority of ambulatory surgery centers are now actively administering the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey, following its mandate as part of the Medicare ASC Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program. The March 2025 ASCA 60-Second Survey, which gathered responses from 261 facilities across 44 states, showed a marked shift since last … [Read more...]
Smaller ASCs See Big Revenue Gains Amid Rising Orthopedic Demand, Lower Claim Denials
2024 was defined by a marked increase in cardiology procedures, with OR times for these procedures decreasing by about 28% compared to the previous year. This has big implications for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operators. “You combine this improving efficiency with high net revenue per case, which we see as $4,600 on average per case, and those two combined mean that we’re seeing very impressive improvements in overall revenue per minute of operating time,” Bill Prentice, CEO of the … [Read more...]
What ASC Leaders Need to Know About Indiana’s Site-Neutral Proposal
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in Indiana could face a major reimbursement shift if new state legislation mandating site-neutral payments passes. In a recent Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) audio update, Charlie Leonard, a member of ASCA’s public affairs team, spoke with ASCA Director of Government Affairs Stephen Abresch about Indiana House Bill (HB) 1003. The bill proposes to reimburse certain surgical procedures at physician office rates, regardless of whether they are … [Read more...]
From Tension to Teamwork: Strategies for Managing Anesthesia Challenges in ASCs
The anesthesiologist shortage will likely not end anytime soon. Yet for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operators, there are fixes that can help keep their centers running smoothly, such as collaborating with anesthesia providers, balancing payer mixes and making sure operating rooms are functioning efficiently. “In the past, anesthesia, surgeons and surgery centers often had a contentious relationship,” Alfonso del Granado, administrator of Covenant High Plains Surgery Centers in Lubbock, … [Read more...]
‘We’re Really Going to Get on the Ball Very Early in the Year’: ASC Leaders Eager to Engage Trump Administration on CMS Rulemaking
After a somewhat disappointing rulemaking cycle for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) this year, 2025’s discussions with federal regulators will become all the more important. And a return to a Trump administration means ASC stakeholders will need to start those conversations sooner rather than later. “We're really going to get on the ball very early in the year in 2025,” Kara Newbury, chief advocacy officer for Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), said during a recent podcast … [Read more...]
[Updated] CMS Finalizes 2.9% Medicare Payment Update for ASCs in 2025
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized 2025 Medicare payment rates and quality reporting program updates for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). ASC payment rates will increase 2.9% in CY 2025 for centers meeting relevant quality reporting requirements, according to a final rule that CMS issued Friday. The rule received backlash from industry stakeholders. “This final rule is a step sideways in a time when millions of Medicare beneficiaries need CMS to advance … [Read more...]
New Bipartisan Legislation Aims to Stabilize Physician Medicare Rates, Gains ASCA Backing
Federal legislation that seeks to protect the financial viability of physician practices by addressing long-standing Medicare reimbursement challenges has been introduced, and has the backing of ambulatory surgery center advocates. The proposed legislation comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2.93% cut in physician Medicare reimbursement rates is set to take effect in January 2025. “This amounts to a finalized CY 2025 PFS conversion factor of $32.35, a … [Read more...]
Citing Affordability and Patient Satisfaction, ASC Stakeholders Keep Pushing for CMS Cardiovascular Codes
There is a growing movement in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry to include more cardiovascular codes in the Covered Procedures List (CPL). ASCs have been positioned to transform cardiovascular care in the U.S. since the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) to its covered procedure list in 2020. What’s more, cardiovascular procedures in ASCs are becoming more and more common due to technological advancements, … [Read more...]