The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association has submitted comments on Medicare's proposed accountable care organization rule, according to a report from ASCA in its ASCA Government Affairs Update.
The comment letter provides suggestions for lowering costs by encouraging ACOs to make use of ASCs.
The letter also provides ASCA's suggestions for the guiding principals CMS should follow as it finalizes the ACO rule, according to the report. They include:
- CMS should ensure that collaboration among providers does not reduce competition.
- CMS should ensure competition in the marketplace
- CMS should capitalize on the ACO program's incentives for providers to direct patients to the clinical settings most appropriate to the patient's needs that are also the lowest priced.
- CMS should use the shared savings rate to reward ACOs that optimize efficient community resources.
View a copy of the ASCA's letter by clicking here (pdf).
For more information, contact Jonathan Beal at ASCA at jbeal@ascassociation.org.
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