Category: ASC Coding, Billing and Collections

Centene in the headlines: 5 updates in 60 days 

Here are five updates from the last 60 day about one the country’s largest insurers: 

Medicare payments to hospitals double those to ASCs: 4 study notes

Medicare per-procedure payments to hospital outpatient departments were 2.1 times larger than payments to ASCs, according to new research published by the Rand Corp. 

Physician-owned hospital pays $1.2M to settle billing fraud claims

Oklahoma Heart Hospital South, a physician-owned hospital based in Oklahoma City, paid $1.2 million to settle billing fraud allegations May 16.

National Medical Billing Services acquires Medi-Corp

National Medical Billing Services acquired anesthesia, ASC and pain management revenue cycle management provider Medi-Corp, according to a May 17 news release shared with Becker’s.

Site-neutral insurer contracts a reality for orthopedic group

Surgery centers have advocated for site-neutral payments with hospital outpatient departments, so the same rates are paid regardless of where the procedure is performed.

Hospital interests pushing CMS away from ASCs, administrator says

CMS has passed several measures in the last year affecting ASC reimbursements, including removing 255 procedures from the ASC-payable list. For Cathy McCue, MSN, RN, administrator of Uropartners Surgery Center in Des Plaines, Ill., CMS’ actions point t…

Insurers want more surgeries in ASCs

Snagging profitable payer contracts and high reimbursements has historically been an obstacle for ASCs, particularly when competing with hospitals’ big pockets. 

Hospitals seek 15% pay bump from insurers — what should ASCs ask for?

Hospitals across the U.S. are seeing labor and supply costs rise with inflation and are clashing with insurers about raising contracted rates, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Financial opportunities in ASCs and how to capitalize on them — 3 takeaways

Growth opportunities across the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space continue.

Maine physician group to cut ties with Anthem over 5 years of flat rates

Portland, Maine.-based independent practice Fore River Urology is cutting its contract with Anthem, Bangor Daily News reported May 3.