3 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8
W
hether it was skimping on their yearly payment updates or
refusing them separate reimbursement for device-intensive
procedures, Medicare's annual payment rule routinely
snubbed and shortchanged ambulatory surgical centers. Not this year.
Surgery centers came out on top like never before in CMS's 2019 final
payment rule for hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ASCs,
released last month (osmag.net/YbFW9b).
And we're not just talking about ASCs receiving a bigger 2019 rate
increase (2.1%) than hospitals (1.35%). From aligning the inflation fac-
tors it uses to update payments to lowering the threshold for device-
intensive procedures, Medicare's payment policy strongly favors
ASCs, perhaps a nod to the agency's desire to shift cases from higher-
Medicare Payment Rule a Big Win for ASCs
Breaking down the good news for ambulatory surgical centers.
Reimbursement Update
William B. Eck
• LEVEL PLAYING FIELD Medicare will use the same measure to update ASC and
HOPD payments, a policy change that could shorten the disparity between what CMS
reimburses for the same procedures.
