Fair Payment for Ambulatory Surgical Centers
The Academy is committed to maintaining the sustainability of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) for ophthalmic services. On Aug. 4, CMS released its proposed Medicare and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System draft rule for 2021. The Academy has submitted comments where we urge CMS to ensure fair 2021 payment rates, extend pass-through status during the Public Health Emergency (PHE), delay new prior authorization requirements, and unbundle payment for lacrimal ophthalmic inserts.
For 2021, CMS has proposed increasing payment rates under the ASC payment system by 2.6% for ASCs that meet the quality reporting requirements under the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) program. In addition to commending the proposed increase, we again urged CMS to eliminate the secondary rescaler used to calculate facility rates. We argue it would “provide greater equity between hospital and freestanding surgical facilities.”