ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

Here are three updates that could affect reimbursement and payment collection in ASCs:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Portland, Ore.-based Cambia Health Solutions called off a planned partnership on Sept. 27, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

Humana added West Reading, Pa.-based Reading Hospital to its Medicare network, according to the Reading Eagle.

High-deductible health plans are increasingly prevalent, but Americans are struggling to pay their medical bills, according to ClearGage.

As patient consumerism continues to make waves throughout healthcare, patient demands for pricing information are steadily increasing.

Nearly $32,000 in patient payments goes uncollected each year by 40 percent of all providers, according to ClearGage, a healthcare payment solutions provider.

Limited patient-to-physician interaction in the ASC environment makes it challenging to reinforce patient payment obligations, according to ClearGage, a healthcare payment solutions provider.

Procedures performed in freestanding surgery centers cost less than those performed in hospital settings, and it's an area poised for growth, Axios reports.

The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association is backing new legislation that would affect how CMS handles payment and quality data for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments.

A federal judge ruled against the 2019 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule's site-neutral payment policy that reduced Medicare payments for off-campus clinic visits.