CMS Empowers Patients and Ensures Site-Neutral Payment in Proposed Rule

On July 25, CMS took steps to strengthen the Medicare program with proposed changes to ensure that seniors can access the care they need at the site of care that they choose.

The proposed rule aims to address other payment differences between sites of service, so that patients can choose the setting that best meets their needs among safe and clinically appropriate options. For 2019, CMS is proposing to:

• Expand the number of procedures payable at ASCs to include additional procedures that can safely be performed in that setting
• Ensure ASC payment for procedures involving certain high-cost devices parallels the payment amount provided to hospital outpatient departments for these devices
• Help ensure that ASCs remain competitive by stabilizing the differential between ASC payment rates and hospital outpatient department payment rates

Source: https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jeb/article-detail/-/view/10546/mln-connects-special-edition-july-25-2018