ASCA

In July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2022 proposed payment rule for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (HOPD).

We cannot rely on past patterns to project exactly what caseloads will look like inside ASCs through the rest of the year or even through the end of summer.

Unfortunately, even though most of us suffer some level of survey fatigue in our daily lives, ASC leaders need to overcome their desire to never fill in another open circle, check a blank box or choose a numeric rating ever again and participate in a few surveys that can be critically important to the future of their centers.

The good news for patients in need of outpatient surgery is that, across the country, health care providers and policymakers have recognized that elective surgery is not the same thing as optional surgery and are allowing ASCs to remain open to provide this care.

As we did in 2020, ASCA will remain committed to being a timely and reliable resource on COVID-19.

Three important studies released recently contain findings that everyone interested in improving patient access to lower cost, high-quality outpatient surgical care should know.