2010 ASC Payment Rate Have Changed

ASC 2010 Medicare payment rates have changed slightly due to changes to hospital outpatient and physician rates made by the health reform legislation enacted recently by the US Congress. Rates for both surgical procedures and ancillary services are affected. The changes range from -4% to +2% for surgical procedures and -2% to +169% for ancillary services.

The rate changes are retroactive back to January 1, 2010, but Medicare contractors have been instructed not to automatically adjust previously paid claims. Instead, contractors will only reprocess prior claims if asked to do so by ASCs. Medicare contractors should begin paying claims at the revised rate in June 2010.

A copy of the document from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services explaining the changes is available at www.ascassociation.org/2010change.pdf.

More information on the 2010 ASC rates is available on www.ascassociation.org/medicare2010/