Office-based endoscopy, a longtime option for care, is becoming more viable as ASCs look for ways to keep pace with inflation and other stressors, according to a Nov. 21 Medscape report.
Colonoscopy reimbursements have fallen by more than 40% since 2001, while ASC revenue grew, decreasing the amount of revenue from professional and facility fees, the report said.
But a potential shift to office-based models could support outpatient gastroenterology care, according to an editorial in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the report said.
Medicare’s proposed 2026 Physician Fee Schedule includes a 14% reimbursement bump for office-based procedures, including endoscopy. Some states like Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, also plan to introduce programs to promote the move to office-based endoscopy.
Office-based endoscopy can also help independent practices regain control, the report said.
“The decision to start offering office-based endoscopy services was an easy one for our practice, as it provides a way for us to provide patients convenient, easy-to-access endoscopy that is high quality yet much more affordable than hospital-based settings,” Neil Gupta, MD, managing partner at Midwest Digestive Health & Nutrition in Des Plaines, Ill.,” said in the report. “As we all try to find better ways to provide high-quality but affordable care for patients, office-based endoscopy is a great way to help achieve those goals.”
