Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act Reintroduced in the 118th Congress
WASHINGTON, DC, February 10, 2023—The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) proudly supports the reintroduction of the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023. Congressmen Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-OH) and John Larson (D-CT) reintroduced the legislation in the US House of Representatives and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) introduced the legislation in the US Senate.
The legislation specifically seeks to increase Medicare patients’ access to ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), ensure adequate reimbursement and provide better quality metrics across sites of care.
Provisions in the legislation would
- require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to publish relevant quality data in a way that allows patients to compare quality across sites of service;
- eliminate the copay penalty Medicare beneficiaries pay for certain Part B services when they are provided in an ASC;
- provide transparency regarding the criteria CMS is using to exclude procedures from the ASC Covered Procedures List;
- add an ASC representative to CMS’ Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment, which makes decisions that affect both hospital outpatient department (HOPD) and ASC facility fees and eligible procedures; and
- align the inflation update and budget neutrality adjustment for ASCs and HOPDs.
“We want to thank the sponsors of the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act for this effort to reduce Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs and put the program on more stable footing,” said ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice. “Increasing access to care in surgery centers will reduce Medicare expenses and free up dollars for other health priorities.”