ASCs account for more than 40 percent of Medicare colonoscopy services and have a huge potential for growth with the provision, because in 2008 the test was only given to about 60 percent of adults age 50 and older, the age group who should be receiving regular screenings.
Under health reform, private insurers and health plans will be required to provide first dollar coverage for colorectal screenings within six months after enactment of the law, according to the Colorectal Cancer Coalition.
In addition, co-pays for Medicare beneficiaries for such screenings will end on Dec. 31 and there will be no additional co-payments for them if a polyp is discovered and has to be removed during the screening exam, the coalition stated.
“ASCs are committed to achieving the 50 percent reduction in colorectal cancer death rates,” Arnold G. Levy, MD, a gastroenterologist representing ASCAC, told the State-of-the-Science Conference on Enhancing the Use and Quality of Colorectal Cancer Screening, hosted by the National Institutes of Health, earlier this month.
Dr. Levy is president and CEO of a 55-physician gastroenterology group in the Washington, D.C., area, whose members performed 30,000 colonoscopies in affiliated ASCs in 2009.
Read the ASC Advocacy Committee’s release on colorectal cancer screenings.
Read Colorectal Cancer Coalition’s chart on the health reform provisions
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.