In a sweeping 900-page proposal, CMS plans to eliminate the Inpatient Only (IPO) list over 3 years, starting with 285 procedures in 2026—mostly musculoskeletal—and add 547 procedures to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL). The goal: expand outpatient surgical access and lower patient costs.
Key updates include:
- 2.4% ASC rate hike for 2026 (for centers meeting quality reporting).
- Quality Reporting Simplified: CMS proposes removing burdensome COVID-19 and health equity metrics, adding a patient recovery-focused measure instead.