ASC INDUSTRY NEWS
August 2024
Chevron Ruling Could Disrupt Medicare Audits
The Supreme Court has overturned Chevron Deference, a long-standing doctrine which deferred interpretive power to government agencies, such as CMS. This move shifts power to the courts to scrutinize guidelines more critically, which may impact the financial damages incurred by healthcare providers due to overpayments.
Source: Becker’s ASC Review
50K Patients Impacted in Gramercy Surgery Center Data Breach
A New York surgery center reported a data breach affecting approximately 50,000 patients to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The data breach included personal identity information, medical treatment and health insurance details.
Source: Becker’s ASC Review
HIPAA Biannual Update
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, in the first half of 2024, 359 healthcare organizations reported protected health information data breaches affecting at least 500 individuals. Unauthorized access, or hacking comprised 95% of the data breaches.
Source: ASC Focus
AAAHC Releases Updated Medication Reconciliation Toolkit
In an effort to reduce the number of medication errors in the ASC setting, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) released an updated Medication Reconciliation Toolkit. This toolkit aims to effectively reconcile patient medications for both primary care and ASC settings, in an effort to further cultivate a culture of safety.
Source: ASC Focus
Bad News For Anesthesia Reimbursements
The industry faces additional challenges to the existing anesthesia provider shortage as multiple factors contribute to reimbursement decline. Due to the precedent set by declining CMS reimbursement rates, as well as other federal regulatory moves, the shortage of providers in rural areas will likely grow more dire.
Source: Becker’s ASC Review
