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HHS Secretary proposes expansion of ASC list

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, December 28, 2005

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt has indicated in a letter his intentions to expand the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) list of Medicare-covered procedures to "include all outpatient surgical procedures (except those that the Department finds would pose a significant safety risk when performed in an ASC, or would require an overnight stay)."

In the letter, Leavitt told Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) he will reconcile the proposal with a new ASC payment system in 2008.

Leavitt also said the ASC list will receive its update by July 1, 2007, as required by law.

To view the letter, click here.

"We must find ways to expand choices for all patients, including those on Medicare," Crapo said in a news release on his Web site. "Obsolete and outdated rules at HHS have not kept pace with medical developments. Medicare should be encouraging patients to use ASCs whenever appropriate, not limiting patient access to ASCs. When the first center opened in the country nearly 35 years ago, patients had an alternative to hospital admission. ASCs provide a cost-effective, convenient and less stressful environment for many surgical procedures.

"I am pleased that Secretary Leavitt has recognized the need to update Medicare and look forward to working to make certain the changes are implemented," Crapo said.

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