Medicare per-procedure payments to hospital outpatient departments were 2.1 times larger than payments to ASCs, according to new research published by the Rand Corp.
Researchers analyzed medical claims data from all states from 2018 to 2020.
Four more stats:
1. Private insurer payments to hospital outpatient departments were 2.6 times larger than payments to ASCs.
2. ASC prices increased faster than Medicare payment rates — from 159 percent of Medicare rates in 2018 to 162 percent in 2020.
3. Prices for common outpatient services performed in ASCs averaged 162 percent of Medicare payments, but the same outpatient services averaged 117 percent of Medicare when performed at hospital outpatient departments.
4. Although relative claims are lower at ASCs, hospital outpatient department prices are higher than ASC prices.