Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which measures the rising cost of goods like milk and eggs; HOPDs are updated based on the Hospital Market Bas- ket, which measures the rising cost of providing medical services. CMS has the authority to move ASCs from the CPI-U to the Hospital Market Basket but has been hesitant to do so. ASCA will continue to work with its champi- ons in Congress to attempt to legislate this critical change. ASC representation on regula- tory advisory panels:
ASCA will
continue to work to add ASC repre- sentatives to three regulatory pan- els—the Advisory Panel on Hospi- tal Outpatient Payment, the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee and the Medi- care Payment Advisory Commission. Each panel makes important recom- mendations to CMS and/or Congress that impact ASCs. Removing barriers to colorec- tal cancer screening: Under current law, Medicare waives coinsurance and
deductibles for colonoscopies.
When a polyp is discovered and removed, however, the procedure is reclassified as “therapeutic” for Medi- care billing purposes and patients are required to pay the coinsurance. To ensure that unexpected copays do not deter a patient from colorectal cancer screening, ASCA is supporting leg- islation that, if passed, would elimi- nate unexpected costs for Medicare beneficiaries when a polyp is discov- ered and removed. ASC quality reporting require-
ments: The ASC community coalesced behind a group of stake- holders a decade ago to develop, test and seek endorsement of quality measures specific to the ASC setting. ASCA appreciates the work CMS has done to implement the ASC Quality Reporting Program and will continue to work to ensure that the program does not become overly burdensome for ASCs.
On State Level At the state level in 2017, ASCA sup- ported the development and continu- ing operation of state associations in states where participation was dwin- dling and where the state associa- tions were being invited for the first time. ASCA also focused on support- ing state ASC associations across the country in efforts aimed at preventing the passage of legislation that could be harmful to ASCs. In Oregon, for example, ASCA
worked with the Oregon Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (OASCA) to engage grassroots advocates in stop- ping a costly ASC provider tax bill. In Louisiana, ASCA worked with the Louisiana Ambulatory Surgery Center
Association (LASCA) to successfully amend a Louisiana regulation to allow for 23-hour stay. Previously, patients in the state could not remain in an ASC past midnight. ASCA also helped LASCA defeat an ASC Medicaid pro- vider assessment. As ASCA and Nevada ASCs
worked together to rejuvenate the Nevada Surgery Center Association (NVSCA), the two groups success- fully amended a provider tax bill that would establish ASCs as their own health care provider class so that any taxes imposed on ASCs in the state in the future would have to be voted in by ASCs themselves. Additionally, ASCA and Nevada’s ASCs success- fully stopped a bill that would have
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