Dan O'Connor, Editor-in-Chief
For all it's done to advance the cause of ASCs, the ASC Association has fallen woefully short where it matters most: preserving and protecting what 5,208 U.S. surgical centers get paid to do cases faster than hospitals, at close to half the cost. Medicare ASC payment rates have sunk like a stone over the last 6 years, diving lower and lower as the number of ASCs and the number of cases they perform grow higher and higher. It hasn't been for lack of effort, but the numbers tell a disturbing story and point to an uncertain future:
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