Medicare payments for the top 10 CPT codes are projected to increase by 3.9 percent in total in 2023, according to a Jan. 23 report from VMG Health. 

ASCs are the fourth most common location for No Surprises Act disputes that occurred between April 15 and Sept. 30, according to CMS' initial report on the independent dispute resolution process. 

Here are three updates about value-based care that ASCs need to know:

Contract disputes and payer splits are threatening coverage nationwide, and some ASCs are being affected by the parties unable to meet year-end or looming deadlines. 

Here are three major updates from Anthem Blue Cross that Becker's has reported on since Dec. 19. 

Coast Surgery Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., is suing several major insurance providers for alleged "illegal, coercive, unfair, fraudulent practices, bad faith and deceptive advertisements."

Certificate of need laws could change drastically in North and South Carolina in the next year, according to a Jan. 11 article in JDSupra from the law firm Nexsen Pruet. 

Many healthcare leaders cite the No Surprises Act's independent dispute process as an obstacle to care — HHS has received more than 90,000 claims since launching the independent dispute resolution portal in April. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee has ended its relationship with Memphis-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, and two ASCs are affected, local ABC affiliate ABC24 reported Jan. 5. 

The No Surprises Act, aimed to protect patients against balance billing and create cost transparency, took effect Jan. 1, 2022, and the law has shifted how many physicians and ASCs provide care. 

Here's what five ASC leaders had to say about CMS in the last year:

Here are 12 updates in the last year about prior authorizations, one of the biggest burdens for ASC leaders. 

Noncompete agreements could be banned with a new proposed rule from the Federal Trade Commission. 

Here were seven ASCs that faced opposition in 2022: 

Four ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss their thoughts on ASC ownership. 

According to Dennis Fliegelman, principal consultant at West Lake Village, Calif.-based ARA Financial Services, outpatient reimbursement should be based on clinical rationale rather than ownership structure. 

Becker's has reported on three Stark Law changes and considerations in 2022. Here's what ASC leaders need to know going into 2023:

Dennis Fliegelman, principal consultant at West Lake Village, Calif.-based ARA Financial Services and former hospital administrator, joined Becker's to discuss how CMS performed in 2022. 

Brookline, Mass.-based sleep medicine physician Pankaj Merchia, MD, was indicted for his alleged role in a healthcare fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Dec. 20. 

Recent rulings from the CMS offer an opportunity to reevaluate specialty mixes, surgical offerings and professional practice offerings against existing managed care contracts to ensure revenue cycle health.