Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Could Medicare save a billion by utilizing ASCs more?

Medicare pays much less for the same services in an ambulatory surgery center than in a hospital outpatient department, according to a new survey from the Moran Company. The average ASC claim cost $320 less than it would have in the outpatient department, and Medicare will save $1.1 billion on services performed in an ASC instead of outpatient departments, according to the "apples-to-apples" comparison commissioned by the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association. Also, Medicare could save another $1.6 billion if more services happened in the ASC instead of the hospital outpatient department, Moran found.