The CMS final payment rule for hospital outpatient departments and ASCs in 2017 includes a new ophthalmic quality measure — ASC 14: Unplanned Anterior Virectomy.
The quality measure assesses the percentage of cataract surgery patients undergoing surgery in an ASC and the data will be collected in 2018 to use for payment determination in 2020 and beyond. CMS also sought comment on quality measures for future consideration around toxic anterior segment syndrome, which the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society supported.
CMS also reported corneal tissue acquisition costs in the hospital outpatient department and ASC will be limited to tissue used in corneal transplant procedures.