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October 8, 2015 Volume V, Issue 39
Medicare Quality Reporting Program Shows Universal Safe Surgery Checklist Use
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released data on two measures in the Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program: Safe Surgery Checklist Use (ASC-6) and ASC Facility Volume Data on Selected ASC Surgical Procedures (ASC-7). The data on ASC-6, collected in 2012 and made public on Medicare's www.hospitalcompare.gov, shows that 99 percent of all Medicare-certified ASCs reported using a Safe Surgery Checklist in their facility.
ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice congratulated the industry on this achievement, stating, “A safe surgery checklist is an essential tool in maintaining a culture of safety in the operating room. We are very pleased that CMS can confirm almost universal use of this safety tool in ASCs across the country."
For more information, contact Kara Newbury at knewbury@ascassociation.org.
CMS Seeks Public Comment on Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week a Request for Information (RFI) for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). This RFI seeks public comment on Section 101 of MACRA, which repeals the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the physician fee schedule (PFS) and implements scheduled PFS updates, including a higher update rate for “qualifying participants in Alternative Payment Models (APMs)” beginning in 2026.
Section 101 also adds the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible professionals (EPs), sunsets payment adjustments under the current Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program, often referred to as the Meaningful Use (MU) program, and consolidates aspects of those programs into the new MIPS.
In addition, Section 101 of the MACRA promotes the development of APMs by providing incentive payments for certain EPs who participate in APMs and by encouraging the creation of additional Physician-Focused Payment Models (PFPMs).
The Request for Information and instructions about how to respond are available here. Comments are due on November 2, 2015, and may be submitted here.
For more information, please contact Kara Newbury at knewbury@ascassociation.org.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations Reaffirmed
The US Preventive Services Task Force reaffirmed 2008 guidelines for colorectal cancer screening that recommend screening with colonoscopy every 10 years for patients at age 50 and through age 75. The decision to screen for colorectal cancer in adults ages 76 to 85 years should be an individual one, taking into account the patient’s overall health and prior screening history.
The deadline for submitting comments is November 2, 2015 at 8 pm ET. More information on the draft recommendation can be found here.
ASCA Introduces Eurasian Health Professionals to ASCs
ASCA, today, hosted 20 mid- to senior-level professionals from eight Eurasian countries, including Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Russia, in its Alexandria office. ASCA Board Member Arnaldo Valedon, MD, and ASCA staff provided an introduction to ASCs and answered questions about the ASC model of care. Afterward, the group toured the Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center in Bethesda, Maryland—a three-operating room/one-procedure room, multi-specialty ASC that performs approximately 4,000 cases each year.
The 20 delegates are visiting the U.S. as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2015 Special American Business Internship Training Program’s Healthcare Management: Outpatient Care program. The three-week internship will provide information on trends and innovations in the management of health care institutions that the delegates can use to introduce improvements in their own organizations and health systems in their home countries.
Special thanks to Dr. Valedon, Randall Gross, Jed Smith and others at the Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center who made this visit a success.
Congressional Support Grows for ASCA Priority Legislation
Last week, more than one-hundred members of Congress were directly lobbied by ASCA’s Advocates as part of the Capitol Fly-In program and as a result support for key legislation is building.
The ASC Quality and Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 1453/S. 2071) now has 45 cosponsors in the House and five in the Senate. This legislation would fix the Medicare inflationary update factor that causes the growing disparity in payments between the ASC and HOPD settings. Click here to read a full description of the legislation and how it helps protect patient access to care in the ASC setting.
Additionally, 15 new representatives and seven new senators signed on to the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2015 (H.R. 1220/S. 624). This legislation would correct an oversight in current law that requires Medicare beneficiaries to cover the cost of their copayment for a “free” screening colonoscopy if a polyp is discovered and removed during the procedure. Click here to learn more.
Your help is needed to continue building momentum for these legislative priorities by quickly and easily writing your members of Congress in support of the ASC Quality and Access Act of 2015. ASCA can also help you invite and set-up a tour of your center for your representative or senators—to find out how, contact Danielle at dkaster@ascassociation.org.
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