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Sometimes, Washington delivers a moment of unity that breaks the gridlock. When the House Ways and Means Committee advanced the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act (H.R. 8163) last month on a 44–0 vote, both parties sent a clear message: The system behind Medicare physician payment is broken—and the now is the time to fix it.
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American Medical Assocation (06/30/26) Willie Underwood III
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2027 proposed payment rule for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments on July 2. Of note, while CMS proposed a 2.4% update across all covered procedures, many high-volume procedures are slated to see a drop in reimbursement for 2027. On a positive note, CMS proposed adding all four hernia codes ASCA requested to the ASC Covered Procedures List. Read an overview of the rule. |
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ASCA Content (07/07/26)
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No Surprises Act disputes shouldn't rely on manual spreadsheets and guesswork. Pivotal Health is the IDR Authority, the software platform built for ambulatory surgery centers to manage dispute resolution end-to-end. Automated deadline tracking, built-in analytics, and data-driven negotiation support help your team win more disputes and recover more revenue from payors. See what modern IDR software can do.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the safety of sevoflurane and other general anesthetics based on published scientific reports of unexpected catastrophic outcomes, including severe neurologic adverse outcomes and death, occurring in adult and pediatric patients of maternal Venezuelan ancestry following routine general anesthesia with sevoflurane. In light of the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, FDA wants to ensure that agencies or groups providing medical resources to Venezuelans and health care providers traveling to the country are aware of these rare but serious events.
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Food and Drug Administration (07/02/26)
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Data submission for the second quarter (Q2) of 2026 ASCA Benchmarking is now open. This valuable survey is free for ASCA members and allows you to compare your facility’s performance with other ASCs. It’s also a useful tool that can assist you in complying with regulatory and accrediting organization benchmarking requirements. The 2026 benchmarking survey has been completely redesigned and is now hosted on a new survey platform that makes participation easier than ever. Submit your data today! |
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ASCA Content (07/07/26)
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Learn how one ASC reduced aged AR by 33% and boosted cash per case by 6% in six months through focused revenue integrity, analytics, and hands-on collaboration. The results highlight what’s possible when strategy and execution align.Read more.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released on Wednesday afternoon its 2027 proposed payment rule for home health agencies. The rule includes an aggregate payment increase of $420 million, or 2.4%, based on a proposed 2.1% payment update and an estimated 0.3% increase related to the fixed dollar loss ratio.
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Fierce Healthcare (07/01/26) Heather Landi
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In the latest episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA CEO Bill Prentice talks with ASCA Board Secretary and MiOrtho Surgery Center Chief Administrative Officer Raghu Reddy about strategies and tactics for successfully managing many of the prior authorization requirements placed on ASCs and their patients today. At ASCA’s annual conference this past May, Reddy gave an intensive, hour-long presentation on how to effectively manage prior authorization requirements. In this informative episode, he distills his comprehensive presentation down to 20 minutes, covering patient intake, interoffice coordination, risk assessments and more. |
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ASCA Content (07/07/26)
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Provider compensation continued its steady climb in 2025, even as reimbursement rates failed to keep pace, according to the AMGA 2026 Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey. Drawing on data from 451 medical groups and health systems representing nearly 188,000 providers across more than 190 specialties, the survey is among the most comprehensive benchmarking resources available to physician enterprise leaders.
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AMGA News Release (06/24/26)
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OEM Devices You Already Use—At a Discounted PriceMinimize disruption and maximize readiness with Synergy Surgical. Immediate access to OEM devices, no contracts, no minimums, and same-day shipping.
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ASCA collaborates with partners to launch market reportASCA, ASC Data, and ASC News joined hands to produce the State of the ASC Market 2026 report, which highlights growth trends, health system investment in ASCs, and forces shaping the industry’s future. Download the report.
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The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), defined as colorectal cancer diagnosed before the age of 50 years, has been increasing. The relationship between demographic, birth, and parental characteristics and risk of EOCRC has not been elucidated.
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Cancer (06/22/26) Sunny Siddique; Rong Wang; Domenica Berardi; et al.
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On July 8, 2026, new requirements related to standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment will take effect. ASCs that use the covered equipment will be required to comply. The requirements stem from a final rule released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in May 2024 that updated and strengthened disability discrimination protections as outlined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. HHS specifically notes that entities such as ASCs that participate in Medicare, Medicaid, or other grant or funding programs from HHS are covered by these new requirements. Read the Digital Debut to learn more. |
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ASCA Content (07/07/26)
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OrthAlign, Inc., the leader in handheld orthopedic technology, announced the successful completion of the first clinical cases utilizing the Lantern ASC system, marking a major milestone in bringing advanced surgical technology built for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) environment. Designed specifically for the realities of outpatient joint replacement, Lantern ASC delivers the accuracy of advanced enabling technology in a portable, simple, and cost-effective platform that eliminates many of the financial and operational barriers associated with robotic systems.
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PR Newswire (07/01/26)
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About ASCAMission: The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) is the national membership association that represents ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and provides advocacy and resources to assist ASCs in delivering high-quality, cost-effective ambulatory surgery to all the patients they serve. About Us: At ASCA, we are eager to help you become better acquainted with our nation's ASCs and the people who own and operate them. We are also eager to help you develop policies on ASC-related issues. If you have questions, please contact us. We'll put you in touch with the experts and, if you like, arrange for you to visit an ASC in your area. Contact Us: Advertising inquiries should be addressed to Chris Schriever or Alex Yewdell at 202.337.1897 or at advertising@ascassociation.org. Follow ASCA on
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