The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has reversed its long-standing limitation on surgery centers performing procedures on the day they are scheduled, according to an Ambulatory Surgery Center Association release (pdf).
ASCs will now be allowed to provide patient notifications on the day the procedure is performed, allowing same-day surgeries. ASCA has lobbied for the elimination of this condition of coverage throughout 2011 and says the move will improve patient choice, reduce costs and remove an unnecessary regulatory burden from surgery centers.
The revision is expected to take effect Dec. 23.
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ASCs will now be allowed to provide patient notifications on the day the procedure is performed, allowing same-day surgeries. ASCA has lobbied for the elimination of this condition of coverage throughout 2011 and says the move will improve patient choice, reduce costs and remove an unnecessary regulatory burden from surgery centers.
The revision is expected to take effect Dec. 23.
"Elimination of the prior-day notification requirement in ASCs has been a top priority for ASCA this year," said ASCA Executive Director William Prentice, in the release. "Our government affairs team and numerous ASCA members have been in regular contact with CMS on this issue, and we are pleased that CMS has elected to make this change. Not only does the new rule promote patient choice and access to care, it also reduces costs to Medicare and its beneficiaries."
For a copy of the CMS rule change, which revises Medicare's Conditions for Coverage for ASCs now in effect, click here (pdf).
Related Articles on ASC Surgery:
What Surgery Centers Should Watch For in 2012: 12 Issues Facing ASCs
10 Best Practices for Surgery Center Improvement From 10 ASC Leaders