On this week’s audio update, ASCA CEO Bill Prentice provides a preliminary look at the challenges and opportunities for ASCs in the new Congress and administration. Considering the announcement of several administration nominees and the formation of key congressional committees and leadership, Bill explains how the combination of ASC allies and new faces could affect health policies relating to ASCs. With so much at stake, he also provides ample reasons why ASCA members need to actively participate in advocating for the ASC segment of healthcare.

On this week’s audio update, ASCA Regulatory Policy & Research Manager Alex Taira talks about the financial impact that rulemaking at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has on physicians who care for Medicare patients, including those who treat patients in ASCs. Faced with another reduction in the reimbursement rates Medicare pays—after almost five years of reductions—physicians have turned to Congress for some relief. Alex summarizes new legislation that would reverse the Medicare proposal and fund a small, inflationary adjustment. The legislation, which will likely be considered when Congress returns from campaigning, has garnered widespread support from both patients and provider advocates, including ASCA.

On this week’s audio update, ASCA Chief Advocacy Officer Kara Newbury provides an important update about the prior authorization project for ASCs announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in February. This novel demonstration project would require ASCs to perform a small number of certain procedures to obtain prior authorization from CMS before being able to perform the procedures on Medicare patients. ASCA and many healthcare providers have serious concerns about the value and effectiveness of prior authorizations. Tune in to learn more about ASCA’s objections and the advocacy steps the organization is taking to seek a change of policy.

On this week’s audio update, ASCA CEO Bill Prentice discusses the current shortage of IV fluids affecting healthcare providers across the country, including surgery centers. Bill discusses the recovery efforts being undertaken to restore manufacturing capacity at Baxter’s North Carolina manufacturing facility that was badly damaged during Hurricane Helene. He also details the steps the federal government is taking to address the shortage, including allowing the importation of IV solutions from foreign manufacturers, as well as ASCA’s efforts to press for more federal relief and keep members of the ASC community informed through postings on the ASCA website.

On this week’s audio update, Jon Van Valkenburg, executive director of Upstate Orthopedics Ambulatory Surgery Center in East Syracuse, New York, and a member of the ASCA Board, provides a 360-degree look at the opportunities and challenges facing outpatient orthopedic surgery centers today. Tune in to learn why a growing demand for orthopedic procedures, rising with an increasingly active senior population in the US, faces some stiff headwinds in the form of reimbursement concerns, workforce challenges and inflationary pressures.

On this week’s audio update, ASCA President Mark Wainner talks about attending a recent White House summit aimed at improving patient and workforce safety across the US healthcare system. The summit brought together senior healthcare officials from across the federal government, leaders from 22 national healthcare organizations—including ASCA—and representatives from 16 major hospital systems. This was a first-of-its-kind meeting at The White House and a very prestigious opportunity for ASCA to participate in policymaking at the highest level. To learn more, listen to Mark’s brief recap of the meeting.

On this week’s audio update, ASCA CEO Bill Prentice and ASCA Chief Advocacy Officer Kara Newbury discuss the association’s recent submission to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the 2025 proposed payment rule for ASCs. This annual rule determines reimbursement rates, covered procedures, quality reporting requirements and more for ASCs that treat Medicare beneficiaries. Listen to this short discussion to learn more about these critical issues and ASCA’s advocacy efforts aimed at advancing the interests of your ASC and the patients you treat. 

On this week’s audio update, ASCA Regulatory Policy & Research Manager Alex Taira summarizes key elements of comments ASCA recently submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency’s proposed Physician Fee Schedule for 2025. While the Physician Fee Schedule does not affect ASC reimbursements, its implications are of significant concern to ASCs, their physician practitioners and the patients they serve. In his remarks, Alex addresses reductions in physician reimbursements as well as several related regulatory matters that impact physician billing and patient care.

This week’s recording provides an update on the 2025 proposed payment rule for ASCs; information about early registration for the ASCA 2025 Conference & Expo in Denver, Colorado; important news about ASCA membership renewals; and highlights from a recent study published in Perioperative Medicine journal regarding the safety and efficacy of surgeries performed in ASCs. We hope you will take just a few minutes to listen to this news.

On this week’s audio update, Colin Rorrie, PhD, ASCA’s senior governance and leadership adviser, discusses the attributes that make for good governance and association stewardship. He extols the importance of member participation in the development of the association’s operating committees, strategic plans and advocacy efforts, and explains how ASCA’s new method for electing members to the board of directors conforms with best practices in association governance today.