This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
AAO, OOSS lobby for ASC payments
Two ophthalmic organizations have joined their voices with others to oppose reimbursement changes that they say would cost ambulatory surgery centers an estimated $100 million. Both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society are lobbying Congress not to adopt recommendations from MedPAC, an independent advisory commission on Medicare payment.
AAO stated in a press release that its suggestion to members of Congress to scrap MedPAC’s recommendations and go with an alternative payment methodology was not well received.
“In addition to freezing the ambulatory surgery centers’ (ASCs) payments for 2004, MedPAC called for ASCs to be paid the lower of the ASC or hospital outpatient facility fee,” the AAO stated in its release.
“Physicians cannot be expected to absorb cuts from all sides and continue to provide the same level of patient services,” said Catherine Cohen, AAO vice president for governmental affairs.