Results of the Nov. 3 general election indicate that support for ASCs remains strong in Congress, according to ASC Focus, a publication of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.
Five key insights:
1. The ASC Quality and Access Act of 2019, which is a series of legislative reforms championed by the ASCA, will require bipartisan support to pass.
2. Aimed at leveling the playing field between ASCs and hospital outpatient departments, the proposed reforms include:
- Updating reimbursement for ASC services using the same update factor as HOPDs
- Creating transparency of quality reporting and Medicare beneficiary information
- Adding an ASC representative to the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment
- Disclosing criteria used to determine the ASC procedure list
3. In the past two Congresses, the ASC Quality and Access Act has accumulated 77 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, as well as seven in the Senate.
4. Most ASC supporters retained their seats in the most recent election, including Reps. John Larson, D-Conn., and Devin Nunes, R-Calif., both of whom sponsored the ASC Quality and Access Act.
5. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., lost his reelection bid in the state's June 30 primary, and Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, announced his retirement from Congress in August of 2019. Both were staunch ASC supporters. Replacing Mr. Tipton is Republican Rep.-elect Laura Boebert, and replacing Mr. Marchant is Republican Rep.-elect Beth Van Duyne.
The results of the general election "could have a significant impact on the ASC community including on legislation that aims to tackle the barriers to the growth of our healthcare delivery model," ASC Focus concluded.