ASC Physician Brief

Physicians Again Set for Medicare Pay Cut in 2025 – Payment reform efforts building momentum with physician reimbursement set to decline for fifth consecutive year

Court Blocks Federal Noncompete Ban – Texas judge stops noncompete ban from taking effect, ban nullified pending FTC appeal

Hospital Admissions Rare After ASC Surgeries – New research finds 0.09% unplanned hospital admission rate after 53,185 cases at a surgery center

Facility Fees Remain in Policymakers’ Crosshairs – ASCA monitoring state laws restricting facility fees; at least four states with active legislation in 2024 thus far

Federal Trade Commission Bans Noncompetes – New noncompete agreements banned for all employees beginning September 4, pending legal challenges

Incidence, Cost of Healthcare Data Breaches Continue to Rise – 1 in 3 healthcare organizations have experienced a data breach in the past three years, according to report

Surgery Center Advocates Converge on Capitol Hill – ASCA members meet with 161 congressional offices as part of National Advocacy Day

Medicare Physician Payment Policies in Flux – Prior authorization for Medicare cosmetic surgeries in 10 states expected later this year

Meet David Weinstein, MD – ASCA Board Member Dr. Weinstein instrumental in moving total shoulders to ASCs

Medicare Approves Total Shoulder and Ankles in ASCs – CPT 23472 and 27702 will be reimbursed by Medicare starting January 1, 2024

ASCA 60-Second Survey: Anesthesia – 65% of respondents said their surgery center had adequate access to anesthesia providers in 2023

ASC Trends to Watch in 2024 – Get an exclusive preview of the January 2024 issue of ASC Focus Magazine

Physicians Battling Proposed Medicare Cuts Again – Physicians facing a proposed 3.4% cut to the Medicare conversion factor in 2024

Medicare Still Prohibiting Total Shoulders in ASCs – No mention of adding total shoulder arthroplasty to the ASC Covered Procedures List in 2024

Studies Referenced:
PwC Health Research Institute medical cost trends, 2009–2024

UHC Backtracks Prior Authorization Policy – ASCA advocacy helps halt insurer's planned GI policy

ASCA Backs Physician Pay Bill – Momentum growing for Medicare physician reimbursement reform

Studies Referenced:
MGMA DataDive Provider Compensation Report

ASC Advocacy in Action – ASCA members take over 100 Congressional meetings to advocate for ASCs

Public Health Emergency to Expire May 11 – Some policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic will expire

Studies Referenced:
The Persistent Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Total Joint Arthroplasty

Meet Tyler Marks, MD – ASCA’s Board Secretary on the biggest opportunities and challenges facing ASCs

Cyberattacks on the Rise – Three recommendations to protect your business and patient health information

Studies Referenced:
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) data breaches