ASC Industry News

Check out these articles for some of the latest hot topics in ASC Industry News:

11 CPT codes take effect for ASCs

CMS published 11 Current Procedural Terminology Category III codes that took effect July 1 in the ASC payment system. The agency also made updated payment rates available for download.

Source: Becker’s ASC Review

Hybrid surgery centers: The cardiology shift

Over the past several years, there has been a noticeable shift in procedures from the inpatient to the outpatient setting due to advances in technology and the goal of achieving a lower cost of care. Cardiology procedures have been no stranger to this site of service shift. Beginning in 2005, CMS approved outpatient arterial endovascular interventions in the outpatient setting. CMS then increased reimbursement for peripheral vascular interventions performed in physician offices in 2008. These changes spurred an increase in office-based laboratories (“OBLs”), including catheterization laboratories and vascular access centers.

Source: VMG Health

The strategic role of ambulatory surgery centers cardiology care

For a cardiovascular service line leader, addressing challenges in an evolving healthcare climate is a constant. Understanding the dynamics that influence the service line can arm the leader with information necessary to make timely, informed decisions – particularly the impact of continued migration to the outpatient setting. When the 2019 CMS reimbursement strategy for cardiovascular procedures approved additional cardiovascular procedures for ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), it made collaboration between administrators and physicians imperative to maintain market share and achieve specific cardiovascular service line strategic goals.

Source: Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology

What unexpected challenges were encountered in resuming elective surgery?

Hospitals were keen to resume elective surgery given the dire financial consequences of the COVID-19 “shut-down.” When restrictions where initially lifted, there was some prioritization of surgical cases based on the urgency of the proposed procedures. At Rush, the ORs were quickly able to ramp up to pre-COVID-19 levels of operational efficiency. Patients are, however, concerned and fearful about hospitalization in what are perceived as “COVID hospitals,” leading to them delaying or canceling elective procedures.

Source: Healio

Some patients are returning to hospitals to finally get that knee replacement, others remain wary of elective surgeries

Alice Smith tore her rotator cuff years ago but didn’t consider fixing it until she tweaked it recently while cleaning, causing searing pain. Maryland had just lifted its pandemic-related stay-at-home order, and hospitals were again allowed to perform so-called elective procedures after a two-month break designed to keep space and staff available for COVID-19 patients. But that didn’t mean Smith could see a doctor.

Source: Medical Express