Kara Newbury, JD, chief advocacy officer of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), recently spent some time with OR Manager to discuss the impact of CMS’ 2026 Final Payment Rule, as well as how ASCA is working with both regulators and legislators to achieve even more gains for the ASC…
In its 2026 Final Payment Rule, CMS added 573 codes to the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL). It’s a big win for the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and its advocacy efforts. Kara Newbury, JD, ASCA’s chief advocacy officer, first and foremost views the rule through the lens of Medicare…
Editor's Note The plan to eliminate the Medicare Inpatient-Only (IPO) List and expand the Ambulatory Surgery Center Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has generated widespread reaction, with more than 3,900 comments submitted during the official feedback period, Ambulatory Surgery Center News September…
The migration of surgical cases from inpatient settings to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continues to reshape perioperative leadership in 2025. Nationally, the trend is driven by payer incentives, patient preference, and cost pressures, with ASCs now performing more orthopedic, spine, and complex outpatient procedures than ever before. In fact, the…
By 2022, orthopedic procedures performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) were already outpacing expectations. For years, total hip and knee replacements were considered too complex for same-day surgery. Yet, total joints replacement volumes jumped nearly 200% between 2020 and 2022—outpatient total knee arthroplasty surged nearly 194%, while total hip arthroplasty…
For decades, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have shown their ability to deliver high-quality surgical care at substantially lower cost than hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). ASCs achieve these savings through leaner operations, streamlined staffing models, and specialty-focused efficiencies, not by compromising safety or outcomes. Studies consistently highlight procedures performed in ASCs…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just proposed sweeping changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program and Physician Fee Schedule for calendar year 2026, including extensive changes to outpatient Medicare policy such as payment increases, expanded procedural access, and new quality reporting updates, as outlined in…
Editor's Note Federal regulators and major insurers are independently moving to ease long-standing burdens on ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), potentially reshaping the regulatory and administrative landscape in which perioperative leaders operate. According to Ambulatory Surgery Center News June 23, ASC stakeholders are actively engaging with the new Anticompetitive Regulations Task…
Editor's Note At the 2025 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) conference, discussion of legislative priorities extended beyond educational sessions. Thanks to a visit from the ranking lawmaker of the congressional subcommittee responsible for most healthcare policymaking, attendees also got first-hand insight into the latest negotiations on Capitol Hill. US Representative…
Editor's Note Terry A. Bohlke, MSHA, CPA, CMA, CASC, emphasized that Rocky Mountain High Surgery Center is a pseudonym “to protect the innocent,” but the numbers he presented at the 2025 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) Conference & Expo in Denver last week were real enough. Based on actual scenarios…
