A proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to phase out Medicare’s Inpatient-Only List (IPO) while adding more procedures for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) is stirring debate over how patients move through the continuum of care. As surgical capabilities advance, more complex procedures can safely take place outside of hospitals, including in ASCs. In turn, CMS in its 2026 proposed payment rule for ASCs has suggested phasing out the IPO list over three years, … [Read more...]