The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the Medicare 2013 final rule, and ambulatory surgery center payment rates will increase by 0.6 percent, down from the 1.3 percent update in the proposed rule.
The increase is based on the 1.4 percent projected rate of inflation and a 0.8 percentage point decrease for productivity adjustment required by the Affordable Care Act. The proposed rule factored in a 2.2 percent inflation rate minus a 0.9 percentage point productivity adjustment.
Hospital outpatient departments will receive a 1.8 percent increase.
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association CEO Bill Prentice said his organization is "extremely disappointed that CMS continues to undervalue ASC reimbursements" by using inappropriate system to factor payment rates.
"Using different update factors for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments widens the gap between [hospital outpatient department] payments and ASC payments, further incentivizes a disturbing trend of conversions of ASCs to HOPDs and increases costs to the Medicare program, its beneficiaries and taxpayers who support the program," Mr. Prentice said.
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The increase is based on the 1.4 percent projected rate of inflation and a 0.8 percentage point decrease for productivity adjustment required by the Affordable Care Act. The proposed rule factored in a 2.2 percent inflation rate minus a 0.9 percentage point productivity adjustment.
Hospital outpatient departments will receive a 1.8 percent increase.
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association CEO Bill Prentice said his organization is "extremely disappointed that CMS continues to undervalue ASC reimbursements" by using inappropriate system to factor payment rates.
"Using different update factors for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments widens the gap between [hospital outpatient department] payments and ASC payments, further incentivizes a disturbing trend of conversions of ASCs to HOPDs and increases costs to the Medicare program, its beneficiaries and taxpayers who support the program," Mr. Prentice said.
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