Medicare Quality Reporting, 2012 Rates Finalized
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its 2012 ASC payment policies. ASCs will be required to report data on five quality measures beginning October 1, 2012, or face reductions in their 2014 Medicare payments. ASCs will see an across the board increase of 1.6%, a 0.7% increase over what had been proposed this summer. CMS has added six new procedures to the list of ASC payable procedures for 2012.
Help improve Medicare payments by telling your US Representative and Senators to support the ASC Quality and Access Act of 2011. The legislation would mandate that CMS base the inflation update of ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) on the hospital market basket measure.
ASCA’s Medicare Resources
ASCA provides members information and resources designed to help them navigate the increasingly complex world of Medicare.
In order to be paid by Medicare, ASCs must enter into an agreement with Medicare and meet its certification requirements, known as the Conditions for Coverage. Additionally, some states and private payers require that ASCs meet Medicare’s Conditions for Coverage.
These requirements are comprehensive and cover every aspect of an ASC, from facility design to patient care. ASCA’s member-only certification page provides ASC operators all the information they need to make the potentially daunting Medicare certification process easy.
In 2008, CMS implemented a significantly revised payment methodology based on the Ambulatory Payment Classification systems used in HOPDs. This members-only page provides detailed information about how the ASC payment system works and resources to help ensure that your ASC is being paid correctly.
CMS requires ASCs to report data on quality measures beginning in 2012. ASCs that fail to report will face reductions in their Medicare payment rates in future years. ASCA members can learn more about the quality proposal on the Quality Reporting page and access resources to help them prepare for 2012, including a Quality Reporting FAQs page.
Answers to your Medicare questions are just a phone call away! The Member Services Team is a dedicated team of professionals who are available to assist members with Medicare and other issues. Call 703.836.8808 and ask to speak to a membership services team member.