Congressmen Larry Kissell (D-NC), Kenny Marchant (R-TX) and Michael Burgess (R-TX) have signed on as cosponsors of the ASC Quality and Access Act of 2011 (H.R. 2108), according to a report from the ASC Association in its ASCA Government Affairs Update.
The three congressmen join Pete Sessions (R-Texas), John Larson (D-Conn.), Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) as sponsors of the bill, which was introduced in the House in early June. A companion bill that addresses the same issues was introduced in the Senate on June 10.
The legislation aims to preserve patient access to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare services that ASCs provide. The bill would put into place policies to establish reasonable Medicare reimbursement for ASCs while encouraging additional cost savings for Medicare. It would help "modernize" the way ASCs are paid by tying ASC Medicare payment updates to the Hospital Market Basket, rather than to the volatile Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.
ASCA said Congressman Kissell pledged his support of the bill following a tour of Gateway Surgery Center in Concord, N.C., during which he was educated by the ASC's administrator and physicians on the differences between HOPDs and ASCs, including the growing disparity in reimbursements between the two settings for the same procedures.
If your ASC would like to host a member of Congress for a tour, ASCA encourages you to contact Morgan Hanson at mhanson@ascassociation.org for assistance.
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