At the end of 2022, several ASC industry groups, including the Association of Operating Room Nurses, expressed disappointment in CMS for only adding four new procedures to the ASC-covered list for 2023.
As patient interest in ASCs continues to grow, groups believe that CMS is not keeping up with the demand.
In 2022, orthopedic surgeons hoped that total shoulder arthroplasty would be included in the 2023 list, but it did not happen.
In 2023, advocates were happier about the 2024 approvals, which included adding 11 procedures to the ASC-covered list that were not included in the proposed rule, including total shoulder arthroplasty.
With the addition of shoulder arthroplasty for 2024, and the number of ASC-approved procedures nearly tripling from the year prior, the covered procedures tide may be turning for ASCs.
"We thank CMS for heeding our request to move additional surgical procedures — including total shoulder arthroplasty — onto the ASC payable list," ASCA CEO Bill Prentice said in a November press release. "Doing so benefits both Medicare beneficiaries, who now have a lower cost choice for the care they need, and the Medicare program itself, which will save millions of dollars as volume moves to the high-quality surgery center site of service."