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Senator asks CMS to reduce proposed list deletions

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, April 19, 2005

The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee has sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies (CMS) asking CMS to reconsider its proposal to remove a number of the Medicare-covered procedures from the ASC list.

In his letter on April 12, Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) says, "Preventing ASCs from performing certain procedures in an ASC setting may affect access to care, especially in rural areas where an ASC is more convenient than an outpatient facility."

Grassley cited specific concern toward proposed deletions affecting congenital deformities, burn injuries, traumatic injuries, and cancer.

The letter also gives support for the development of a "more appropriate payment system for procedures performed in an ASC setting."

Grassley cited the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) suggestion of creating an exclusionary list because the new system would "result in more accurate payments for individual ASC services and reduce the administrative burden of providing annual determinations on the coverage or non-coverage of specific procedures," Grassley's letter says.

The Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association issued a statement applauding Grassley's efforts. "Chairman Grassley's leadership on this issue could have a profound effect on making it easier for seniors to access to safe and affordable surgical services at the nation's ASCs," says Kathy Bryant, FASA's executive vice president.

To view FASA's statement, click here.

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