REGULATORY REVIEW


2020, these procedures may be per- formed in the hospital outpatient set- ting. ASCA has long advocated for total hip as well as additional spine codes to be added to the ASC-pay- able list, and this is the first step in that process.


Quality Reporting CMS adopted ASC-19: Facility-Level 7-Day Hospital Visits after General Surgery Procedures


CMS continued to suspend mea- Performed at


Ambulatory Surgical Centers for 2024 payment determinations and beyond. CMS did not yet mandate imple- mentation of the Consumer Assess- ment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambula- tory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS) under its ASC Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program. ASCA contin- ues to advocate for an electronic ver- sion before the survey is made man- datory, which would reduce the costs to our facilities.


sures: ASC-1: Patient Burn; ASC-2: Patient Fall; ASC-3: Wrong Site, Wrong Side, Wrong Patient, Wrong Proce- dure, Wrong Implant; and ASC-4: All- Cause Hospital Transfer/Admission. The agency did, however, acknowledge comments submitted on the potential future online data submission of sus- pended measures for both ASCs as well as HOPDs. ASCA has long requested comparable measures for ASCs and HOPDs and specifically requested prior to this rulemaking cycle that CMS con- sider adding outcomes measures such as ASC-1 through ASC-4 to the HOPD quality reporting program.


CY 2020 Final Physician Fee Schedule


Concurrent to the release of the OPPS/ASC final payment rule, CMS released CY 2020 updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). This payment system deter-


IS CODING DRIVING


We have the largest team of ASC coders in the industry with 40+ ASC multispecialty coders and auditors. All of our coders/auditors are certified, based in the U.S., and have a minimum of 3 years of ASC coding experience (5 years for auditors).


Our contracts require no minimums which allows you to start and stop services at your discretion. We’ve handled the toughest cases and not a single client has ever paid a penny for recoupments, fines or penalties for a case coded by us. We provide services to 350 ASCs across the country.


For more information, contact Neal Green : (310) 459-4186 or ngreen@codingnetwork.com Ask about our free 10 case ASC coding audit !


The Coding Network, LLC Remote Coding • Coding Accurancy Audits • Coding Helpline • Documentation Training


mines reimbursement for the profes- sional component of services ren- dered to Medicare patients, but in recent years has become a bit of a catch-all payment system for new administration initiatives. As in past years, the 2020 MPFS rule includes updates to the Quality Payment Pro- gram (QPP), which is the physician value-based payment system made up of the two participation tracks, the Merit-based Incentive Payment Sys- tem (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs). In an uncommon occurrence, this year’s MPFS final rule includes a provision that directly affects Medicare’s ASC Conditions for Coverage (CfCs).


CfC Changes to Anesthesia Risk Assessment


YOU NUTS?


Then you need to talk to us for all of your ambulatory surgery remote coding needs (permanent or temporary). Our coders are simply the best in the business. We also provide ASC coding audits and coding helpline services.


20 ASC FOCUS FEBRUARY 2020 | ascfocus.org


In the MPFS proposed rule released in July 2019, CMS indicated its desire to align pre-surgery and pre- discharge anesthetic risk assessment standards to allow CRNAs to per- form both assessments. Prior to the proposal, CRNAs could perform only the pre-discharge assessment. After consulting with a number of stake- holders, ASCA ultimately supported this proposal in formal comments submitted to CMS, with the addi-


TRACK THE LATEST REGULATORY AND LEGISLATIVE NEWS FOR ASCs


Visit ASCA’s website every week to stay up to date on the latest government affairs news affecting the ASC industry. Every week, ASCA’s Government Affairs Update newsletter is posted online for ASCA members to read. The weekly newsletter tracks and analyzes the latest legislative and regulatory developments concerning ASCs.


ascassociation.org/ GovtAffairsUpdate


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30