The Secretary should revise the ASC payment system so that its relative weights and procedure groups are aligned with those in the outpatient prospective payment system. In addition:
* The Congress should require the Secretary to periodically collect ASC cost data at the procedure level to monitor the adequacy of ASC rates, refine the relative weights, and develop a conversion factor that reflects the cost of ASC services.
* The Congress should ensure that payment rates for ASC procedures do not exceed hospital outpatient PPS rates for the same procedures, accounting for differences in the bundle of services.
Ambulatory surgical center services (2)
February 28, 2004