The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its proposed fee schedule for Medicare outpatient services for calendar year 2013, which would boost hospital out-patient payment rates by a net of 2. 1%, while ambulatory surgical centers would see a 1 .3% net increase. CMS indicates that payment for medical device-intensive procedures will be the same in ASCs as for hospitals, but the Ambulatory Surgical Center Association (ASCA; Alexandria, Virginia) said in a July 9 statement that the proposal retains "an inappropriate measure of inflation" that will continue to widen the gap between aggregate hospital out-patient and ASC payments. Read More
