The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association is asking members to write to Congress and ask them to support the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2021.
The bipartisan legislation, introduced in the House and Senate in November 2021, is aimed to improve CMS access to ASCs. The legislation would help level the playing field for outpatient surgery, ASCA wrote in a February article.
"We want to thank the sponsors of the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act for their efforts to reduce Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket costs and put the program on more stable footing," ASCA CEO William Prentice said in November. "Increasing access to care in ASCs can play an important role in reducing Medicare expenses, freeing up dollars for other priorities."
Reps. John Larson, D-Conn., and Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La., introduced the legislation.
Here's what the legislation aims to accomplish.