ASC Policy Focus
Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) are an integral part of the health care system, providing critical access to surgical and diagnostic care, including preventive services. More than 22 million surgeries and procedures, including many orthopedic, eye, and abdominal surgeries, are performed annually in 5,300 ASCs in the United States. ASCs are run by licensed medical professionals with specialized expertise. They are often small community businesses, and offer convenient access and scheduling for patients.
With the passage of comprehensive health care reform legislation in early 2010, there is an increased focus on access to quality care and cost savings as the nation begins the process of expanding participation in private and public insurance options. ASCs are often the most cost-effective surgical setting for patients and payors. Advances in the practice of surgery and anesthesia allow procedures, which would have required a hospital outpatient department (HOPD), to be done safely and efficiently in an ASC. Compared to the HOPD setting, every procedure performed in an ASC saves the Medicare program more than 40 percent and usually saves Medicare beneficiaries between 50 and 60 percent on their co-payments. About 75 percent of the growth in ASC services is the result of patients and their physicians using ASCs instead of HOPDs. In fact, if this trend were to increase and shift half of all eligible outpatient procedures from HOPDs to ASCs, Medicare would save an additional $2.3 billion every year.
Despite the meaningful health care savings that ASCs have achieved for payors and patients, continued pressure on ASC payments could cause care to return to more expensive surgical settings. The best policy for Medicare is to maintain ASC payment at a level which will continue to save money and continue the migration of appropriate surgical cases into ASCs. Fostering continued involvement of ASCs in the Medicare program will benefit patient care and create significant cost savings for patients and the health care system overall.
Additionally, ASCs advocate for increased transparency across the health care system to help create a more efficient and cost-effective structure for delivering care while ensuring that quality is standardized across all health settings. The industry supports legislation that would require health care providers and settings to report price and quality information to help consumers make more informed decisions about where to receive their care. ASCs are proud of their outstanding care, service and clinical outcomes, and in fact, many ASCs are also voluntarily reporting quality and outcomes data through the ASC Quality Collaboration (ASCQC) on measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum.
ASCs are committed to working with policymakers to improve our healthcare system and to ensure that Americans continue to receive the high-quality and patient-centered care from facilities across the country.
