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Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, a major health insurer, on Thursday rolled back a policy change that would have capped payments for anesthesia for patients, and would have denied claims altogether if any given procedure exceeded a time limit. The policy, which was to be tested before a national rollout, prompted controversy — first from anesthesiologists and then, after a flurry of media reports, from legislators in Connecticut and New York, where the policy was to go into effect in February.
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New York Times (12/05/24) Roni Caryn Rabin
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Sign up now for ASCA’s Coding & Reimbursement for ASCs virtual course, streaming live January 13 and 14 and available on demand afterward. During this course, which provides essential training for ASC billers and coders, participants will hear from industry experts as they discuss the coding and billing updates for 2025 and share strategies to maximize ASC reimbursements. The coding course—along with ASCA’s entire suite of virtual education—is included in 2025 ASCA membership. Join ASCA or renew your membership for 2025 to access this course as part of your membership! The course is also available for purchase by nonmembers. |
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ASCA Content (12/10/24)
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Deterra is the Solution for Safe Medication DisposalProviders and patients can destroy unused medications quickly and easily with Deterra® Drug Deactivation and Disposal Pouches. Read testimonials and learn how you can order case quantities of pouches for healthcare use.
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Health insurance companies are reassessing the risks for their top executives after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday in Manhattan, with both UnitedHealth and rival CVS Health removing photos of their leadership teams from their websites after the shooting. UnitedHealthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, is the biggest U.S. insurer.
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Reuters (12/05/24) Amina Niasse; Manas Mishra
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How Are Payments Shifting in 2024? Read the Report to See What’s Ahead for Your ASC: Partial payments are rising while total payments are dropping. What’s causing this? Find out the details in the 2024 State of the Industry Report. Read the full report and discover how your ASC can navigate these changes.
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Time is running out to get the lowest registration rate for the ASCA 2025 Conference & Expo, taking place April 30–May 3 in Denver, Colorado. ASCA 2025 is the premier ASC event of the year, offering the most impactful, high-quality and cost-effective education as well as ample networking opportunities for attendees, speakers and exhibitors. Register by December 31 to get the best rate! |
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ASCA Content (12/10/24)
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How To Complete Privileging FasterBetween peer references and board approval, there’s a lot that is out of your ASC staff’s control. Download this checklist to better control what you can so surgeries can happen as planned.
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While many older adults found guidelines limiting colon cancer screening after 75 years of age to be somewhat or very acceptable, a sizable minority did not, and this finding is consistent across respondents with different life expectancies. Limitations of our analysis include reliance on self-report health status and a limited sample size. Nevertheless, these data suggest that limited life expectancy (and the health issues associated with that metric) does not increase older adults’ acceptance of guidelines that seek to deimplement low-value care, although less healthy individuals are most likely to benefit and/or avoid unnecessary harms by following such guidelines.
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JAMA Network Open (12/03/24) Laura E. Brotzman; Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher; Eve A. Kerr; et al.
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Versatility in every drop: With its low-foam, pH-neutral, ultra-concentrated formulation, XEN Enzymatic+ delivers superb control for cleaning a wide range of medical instruments, including your most intricate devices.
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For a limited time only, the paperback edition of ASCA’s Finance & Accounting for ASCs book is 20% off! This book covers the fundamental concepts that every ASC manager needs to know to protect the financial health of their ASC. Use promo code FALLF&A to save. Get your copy today! |
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ASCA Content (12/10/24)
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Hit Your RCM Goals Faster: The All-Payer Insurance Eligibility Tool ACSs Can’t Afford to MissView Webinar
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Sichuan Kelun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd is now able to import the product listed below into the U.S. Other entities cannot legally import these products, and products from unknown sources may put your patients at risk as they may not be the ones listed below.
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Food and Drug Administration (12/06/24)
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The OAS CAHPS Survey will become mandatory starting January 1, 2025, for all eligible Medicare-certified ASCs. It’s imperative that facilities start now.The survey is designed to measure patient experience with overall care received in ASCs. Visit ASCA’s OAS CAHPS Survey page to learn more about the approved survey vendors and find out what you need to do to get started. ASCA members receive a discount if they use Press Ganey as their vendor. |
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ASCA Content (12/10/24)
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The AMA has sent a letter (PDF) to the District of Columbia’s Department of Health expressing “strong opposition” to proposed regulation 3969 that would allow certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) to use the title “nurse anesthesiologist.” The proposal goes against an existing Washington, D.C. law that “preserves the word and term ‘anesthesiologist’ to those authorized to practice medicine,” says the letter from AMA CEO and Executive Vice President James L. Madara, MD.
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American Medical Association (12/02/24) Tanya Albert Henry
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While healthcare was not a major focus of President-Elect Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, the incoming administration will have to address significant decisions in that area in 2025. Read this Digital Debut to learn what this means for surgery center bills moving forward. |
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ASCA Content (12/10/24)
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Hospitals received billions of dollars in extra payments from insurers and government programs over a nine-year period by billing for higher-intensity care than what would be expected, according to a new study. The findings argue for reconfiguring hospital payments that now are based on diagnosis and encourage organizations to game the system, according to the RAND study published in Health Affairs.
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Axios (12/04/24) Maya Goldman
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About ASCAMission: The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) is the national membership association that represents ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and provides advocacy and resources to assist ASCs in delivering high-quality, cost-effective ambulatory surgery to all the patients they serve. About Us: At ASCA, we are eager to help you become better acquainted with our nation's ASCs and the people who own and operate them. We are also eager to help you develop policies on ASC-related issues. If you have questions, please contact us. We'll put you in touch with the experts and, if you like, arrange for you to visit an ASC in your area. Contact Us: Advertising inquiries should be addressed to Chris Schriever or Alex Yewdell at 202.337.1897 or at advertising@ascassociation.org. Follow ASCA on
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