Colonoscopy is the most frequently performed procedure in ASCs, and while the demand is rising, the economics of performing it are getting worse.
Colonoscopy accounts for 13.4% of all ASC procedure volume nationally, generates more Medicare savings than almost any other outpatient procedure, and is the only screening tool that both detects and prevents colorectal cancer in a single visit.
Beginning Jan. 1, Medicare reduced payments for GI endoscopy services performed in ASCs by an average of 8%, while simultaneously increasing reimbursement for the same procedures performed in office-based settings. That directional split, lower rates for ASC-based colonoscopy and higher rates for office-based, has significant implications for the GI ASC model.