(Manual Name)

Medicare Claims Processing Manual  Chapter 14 - Ambulatory Surgical Centers   Table of Contents  (Rev. 11927, 03- 24-23)  Transmittals for Chapter 14 10 - General  10.1 -  Definition of Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) 10.2 -   Ambulatory Surgical Center Services on the  ASC Covered Procedures List  10.3 -  Services Furnished in ASCs Which Are Not ASC Facility Services or Covered Ancillary Services  10.4 -  Coverage of Services in ASCs That Are Not ASC Facility Services or Covered Ancillary Services  20 - List of Covered Ambulatory Surgical Center Procedures  20.1 -  Nature and Applicability of ASC Covered Procedures List  20.2 -  Types of Services Included on the  ASC Covered Procedures List 20.3 -  Rebundling of CPT Codes  30 - Rate -Setting Policies  30.1 -  Where to Obtain Current Rates and Lists of Covered Services  40 - Payment for Ambulatory Surgery 40.1 -  Payment to Ambulatory Surgical Centers for Non- ASC Services  40.2 -  Wage Adjustment of Base Payment Rates 40.3 -  Payment for Intraocular Lens (IOL)  40.4 -  Payment for Terminated Procedures  40.5 -  Payment for Multiple Procedures  40.6 -  Payment for  Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL)  40.7 -  Payment and Offset  for Pass- Through Devices Beginning January 1, 2008 40.8 -  Payment When a Device is Furnished With No Cost or With Full or Partial Credit Beginning January 1, 2008 40.9 -  Payment and Coding for Presbyopia Correcting IOLs (P -C IOLs) and Astigmatism Correcting IOLs (A -C IOLs)  40.10 -  Removal of Device Portion from Certain Discounted D evice- Intensive Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Procedures Prior to the Administration of Anesthesia  50 - ASC Procedures for Completing the ASC X12 837 Professional Claim Format or the Form CMS -1500 60 - Med icare Summary Notices (MSN) Claim Adjustment Reason Codes, Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RAs)  60.1 -  Applicable messages for NTIOLs 60.2 -  Applicable Messages for ASC 2008 Payment Changes Effective January 1, 2008 60.3 -  Applicable Messages for Certain Payment Status Indicators on the ASCFS Effective for Services on or after January 1, 2009  60.3.1  Applicable ASC Messages for Certain Payment Indicators Effective for Service s Performed on or after January 1, 2021 70 - Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) HCPCS Additions, Deletions, and Master Listing     10 - General  (Rev.  11793; Issued:01 -19-23; Effective: 02 -21-23; Implementation: 02 -21-23)  Prior to January 1, 2008, payment was made under Part B for certain surgical procedures that were furnished in ASCs and were approved for being furnished in an ASC.  These procedures were those that generally did not exceed 90 minutes in length and did not require more than 4 hours of recovery or convalescent time.  Prior to January 1, 2008, Medicare did not pay an ASC for those procedures that required more than an ASC level of care, or for minor procedures that were normally performed in a physicians office.  CMS published updates to the list of covered surgical procedures for which an ASC may be paid each year.    Beginning January 1, 2008, payment is made to ASCs under Part B for all surgical procedures except those that CMS determines may pose a significant safety risk to beneficiaries or that are expected to require an overnight stay when furnished in an ASC.  Also, beginning January 1, 2008, separate payment is made to ASCs under Part B for certain ancillary services, such as certain drugs and biologicals, OPPS  pass- through devices, brachytherapy sources, and radiology procedures.  Medicare does not pay an ASC for procedures that are excluded from the list of covered surgical procedures.  Medicare continues to pay ASCs for new technology intraocular lenses and c orneal tissue acquisition as it did prior to January 1, 2008.  CMS publishes updates to the list of covered surgical procedures for which an ASC may be paid each year.  In addition, CMS publishes quarterly updates to the lists of covered surgical procedures and covered ancillary services to establish payment indicators and payment rates for newly created Level II HCPCS and Category III CPT codes.  The complete lists of ASC covered surgical procedures and ASC covered ancillary services, the applicable payment indicators, payment rates for each covered surgical procedure and ancillary service before adjustments for regional  wage variations, the wage adjusted payment rates, and wage indices are accessible on the CMS Web site at:  https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare- Fee-for-Service -Payment/ASCPayment/index.html  .  To be paid under this provision, a facility must be certified as meeting the requirements for an ASC and must enter into a written agreement with CMS.  The certification process is described in the State Operations Manual.   ASCs must accept Medicares payment as payment in full for services with respect to those services defined as ASC services.  The physician and anesthesiologist may bill and be paid for the professional component of the service also.  Certain other se rvices such as lab services or non -implantable DME may be performed when billed using the appropriate certified provider/supplier UPIN/NPI.   10.1 - Definition of Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) (Rev. 3031, Issued: 08- 22-14, Effective: 01 -01-12, Implementation: 09 -23-14)  An ASC for Medicare purposes is a distinct entity that operates exclusively for the purpose of furnishing outpatient surgical services to patients.  The ASC must have in effect an agreement with CMS obtained in accordance with 42 CFR 416 subpart B (General Conditions and Requirements).  An ASC is either independent (i.e., not a part of a provider of services or any other facility), or operated by a hospital (i.e., under the common ownership, licensure or control of a hospital).  A hospital -operated facility has the option of being considered by Medicare either to be an ASC or to be a provider -based department of the hospital as defined in 42 CFR 413.65.  To participate in Medicare as an ASC operated by a hospital, a facility:    Elects to do s o.   Is a separately identifiable entity, physically, administratively, and financially independent and distinct from other operations of the hospital with costs for the ASC treated as a non -reimbursable cost center on the hospitals cost report;    Meets all  the requirements with regard to health and safety, and agrees to the assignment, coverage and payment rules applied to independent ASCs; and    Is surveyed and approved as complying with the conditions for coverage for ASCs in 42 CFR 416.25 -49.  Related su rvey requirements are published in the State Operations Manual , Pub. 100- 07, Appendix L .  If a facility meets the above requirements, it bills the Medicare contractor using the ASC X12 837 professional claim format or, in rare cases, on Form CMS -1500 and is paid the ASC payment amount.  A hospital -operated facility that decides to discontinue participation in Medicare as an ASC must terminate its ASC agreement with CMS.  Guidance regarding the termination of ASC agreements with CMS is provided in 42 CFR 416.35.  Voluntary terminations are those initiated by an ASC and, as specified in 42 CFR 416.35, an ASC may terminate its agreement either by sending written notice to CMS or by ceasing to furnish services to the community.   To participate in Medicare as a provider -based department of the hospital, the hospital must comply with CMS requirements to certify the hospital -operated facility as a provider -based department of the hospital as described in 42 CFR 413.65, including meeting all of the hospital conditions of participation specified in 42 CFR 482.  See Pub 100-07, State Operations Manual, Appendix A, Survey Protocol, Regulations and Interpretive Guidelines for Hospitals, for information on survey requirements.   Certain Indian Health Service ( IHS) and Tr ibal hospital outpatient departments may elect to enroll and be paid as ASCs. See Pub. 100- 04, chapter 19 for more information.  10.2 - Ambulatory Surgical Center Services on the ASC Covered Procedures List  (Rev.  11793; Issued:01 -19-23; Effective: 02- 21-23; Implementation: 02 -21-23)   Covered ASC services are those surgical procedures that are identified by CMS on a listing that is updated at least annually.  Some surgical procedures are covered by Medicare but are not on the list of ASC covered sur gical procedures.  For surgical procedures that are performed but not covered in ASCs, the related professional services may be billed by the rendering provider as Part B services and the beneficiary is liable for the facility charges, which are non- covered by Medicare.   Under the ASC payment system, Medicare makes facility payments to ASCs only for the specific ASC covered surgical procedures on the ASC list of covered surgical procedures.  In addition, Medicare makes separate payment to ASCs for certain covered ancillary services that are provided integral to a covered ASC surgical procedure.  All other non-ASC services, such as physician services and prosthetic devices may be covered and separately billable under other provisions of Medicare Part B.  The Medicare definition of covered ASC facility services for a covered surgical procedure includes services that would be covered if furnished on an inpatient or outpatient basis in connection with a covered surgical procedure.  This includes operating and rec overy rooms, patient preparation areas, waiting rooms, and other areas used by the patient or offered for use to patients needing surgical procedures.  It includes all services and procedures provided in connection with covered surgical procedures furnishe d by nurses, technical personnel and others involved in patient care.  These do not include physician services or medical and other health services for which payment may be made under other Medicare provisions (e.g., services of an independent laboratory l ocated on the same site as the ASC, anesthetist professional services, non -implantable DME).   ASC services for which payment is included in the ASC payment for a covered surgical procedure under 42 CFR 416.166 include, but are not limited to -  (a) Included facility services:   (1) Nursing, technician, and related services;   (2) Use of the facility where the surgical procedures are performed;   (3) Any laboratory testing performed under a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) certificate of  waiver;   (4) Drugs and biologicals for which separate payment is not allowed under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS);   (5) Medical and surgical supplies not on pass -through status under Subpart G of Part 419 of 42 CFR;   (6) Equipme nt;  (7) Surgical dressings;   (8) Implanted prosthetic devices, including intraocular lenses (IOLs), and related accessories and supplies not on pass- through status under Subpart G of Part 419 of 42 CFR;   (9) Implanted DME and related accessories and suppl ies not on pass -through status under Subpart G of Part 419 of 42 CFR;   (10) Splints and casts and related devices;   (11) Radiology services for which separate payment is not allowed under the OPPS, and other diagnostic tests or interpretive services that are integral to a surgical procedure;   (12) Administrative, recordkeeping and housekeeping items and services;   (13) Materials, including supplies and equipment for the administration and monitoring of  anesthesia; and   (14) Supervision of the services of a n anesthetist by the operating surgeon.  Under the revised ASC payment system, the above items and services fall within the scope of ASC facility services, and payment for them is packaged into the ASC payment for the covered surgical procedure.  ASCs must  incorporate charges for packaged services into the charges reported for the separately payable services with which they are provided.  Because contractors price ASC services based on the lower of submitted  charges or the ASC payment rate for the separatel y payable procedure, and because this comparison is made at the claim line- item level, facilities may not be paid appropriately if they unbundle charges and report those charges for packaged codes as separate line -item charges.   There is a payment adjustment for insertion of an IOL approved as belonging to a class of NTIOLs, for the 5- year period of time established for that class, as set forth at 42 CFR 416.200 . Covered ancillary items and services that are integral to a covered surgical procedure, as defined in 42 CFR 416.61, and for which separate payment to the ASC is allowed include:   (b)  Covered ancillary services   (1) Brachytherapy sources;   (2) Certain implantable items that have pass- through status under the OPPS;   (3) Certain items and services that CMS designates as contractor -priced, including, but not limited to, the procurement of corneal tissue;   (4) Certain drugs and biologicals for which separate payment is allowed under the OPPS;