Ambulatory Surgery Center Association

Advancing Ambulatory Surgery

The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) assists ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in delivering safe, high-quality, cost-effective patient care.

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Latest News

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CMS Finalizes ASC-24 in 2025 Rulemaking

April 18, 2025

Submit Your 2025 Q1 Benchmarking Data Today!

April 11, 2025

ASCA Posts 2025 Q2 Medicare Payment Resources

April 3, 2025

Important Dates in April

April 1, 2025

Online Registration Closes April 18—Register Today!

March 28, 2025

ASCA’s 10 Under 40 Honors Program

March 31, 2025

Education, Programs & Services

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Covnention Center

April 30–May 3, 2025

ASCA 2025 Conference & Expo

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Denver, CO

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Webinar Series

Virtual Courses

Online Training Series

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ASC Administrator Development Program

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Clinical & Operational Benchmarking

2025 Q1 data submissions open

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Salary & Benefits

2025 data collection opens soon

Purchase Reports

ASC Focus Magazine

A members-only print and digital magazine for the ASC community

Digital edition sponsored by

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Finance & Accounting

HIPAA Workbook

Physician Brief

Benchmarking Basics

One World Surgery Partnership

ASCA members interested in medical mission opportunities are invited to apply for the ASCA Foundation’s scholarship program.

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Enhancing the Patient Experience

ASCA members work at the forefront of the healthcare community to advance the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of outpatient surgery.

We know our community is making a difference and that's why we provide the resources, education and advocacy to support this mission.

No need to visit a hospital
Medicare-certified quality
Efficient procedure scheduling and performance
Drastically reduced patient copays

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Patients Pay Less in
Surgery Centers

ASCs see reimbursement rates per procedure that are roughly half that of hospital outpatient departments (HOPD). This lower cost is passed on to the patient in the form of lower coinsurance.

Carpal Tunnel Surgery

HOPD

$

ASC

$

Cataract Removal

HOPD

$

ASC

$

Rotator Cuff Repair

HOPD

$

ASC

$

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2024 Procedure Price Lookup Comparison File, Carpal Tunnel Surgery (CPT® 64721), Cataract Removal (CPT® 66984), Rotator Cuff Repair (CPT® 29827)

Surgery Centers
by the Numbers

Medicare-certified ASCs

$ billion/year

Medicare program and beneficiary savings

million/year

Total procedures performed

million/year

Medicare procedures performed

%

Medicare cataract surgeries are performed in ASCs

%

Medicare colonoscopies are performed in ASCs

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary (PSPS) data, 2019 to 2021

Colleen Ramirez, RN, CASC

Chief Administration Officer

Bone and Joint Surgery Center of Novi

“ASCA provides its members with a true community that includes professional development and connectivity. As a member, I am provided with the knowledge and resources to stay on top of the latest trends, regulations and best practices for ASCs, all while gaining personal growth in my profession.”

ASCA Connect, a Community for Surgery Center Professionals

ASCA member conversations happening now

Developing a complete paper chart

Hello All, I am starting up a new, 2 OR, Plastic Surgery ASC. The board members have elected to not use an EMR but will use HST for the practice management side. I have no history with paper charting or HST. I have only used SIS in the ASC world. ... Read more
CMS discussion on dropping some quality measures

Anybody else see this in Becker's Clinical Leadership & IC email? ------------------------------ Carrie Barradale, BSN, RN ASC Regional Quality Nurse PeriAnesthesia Services Optum Care WA / The Polyclinic / First Hill Surgery Center cbarradale@optum.everettclinic.com ... Read more
Conscious Sedation

Good Morning, I have a question about Conscious Sedation. With the current Anesthesia Stipend we are looking at having RN's do conscious sedation again in our Pain Rooms to start with in hopes to save that extra CRNA payment. For those of you ... Read more
VTE prevention

Looking for help with our policy regarding SCD's- do you do a risk assessment on all patients regardless of procedure length and anesthesia type(local, MAC, General)? We are a multispecialty center with endo, eyes, ortho etc. Anyone want to share their ... Read more