The Expansion of Cardiovascular Procedures in the ASC Setting

By Kenneth Yood & Melissa Gertner

May 11, 2020

In recent years, there has been a trend towards the provision of cardiovascular procedures in the outpatient setting and particularly in ambulatory surgery centers (“ASCs”). This trend is in part motivated by the fact that outpatient cardiovascular services, in comparison to cardiovascular services performed on an inpatient basis, tend to be less expensive and offer greater comfort and convenience for patients.[i]

As a result of the emphasis on outpatient cardiovascular services, there is growing interest in the development and expansion of cardiovascular programs in ASCs.

CMS Leading the Way

The trend towards the provision of cardiovascular services in the ASC setting is largely driven by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and the addition of cardiovascular CPT codes to the list of Medicare-covered ASC surgical procedures over the last few years. In 2018, the Medicare program added 17 cardiac catheterization-related procedures to the 2019 list of Medicare-covered ASC procedures.[ii]

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