According to a White House Report issued this week, several regulations of interest to ASCs are part of a regulatory relief plan being undertaken by the Obama Administration and HHS, including one that OOSS has vociferously objected to since its inception two years ago.  This regulation, part of the Medicare Conditions for Coverage, prohibits, except under narrow circumstances, a patient from receiving surgical care in an ASCon  the same day that the surgeon refers him to the facility; the rule has had the onerous effect of precluding same day diagnosis for and performance of Yag procedures, much to the inconvenience of beneficiaries and consternation of surgeons.  In April, OOSS Past-President Dr. Larry Patterson met with CMS officials to articulate our concerns with this rule and urge that it be repealed.  We are pleased that the government now estimates that overturning this regulation will save Medicare $50 million annually.

The White House and HHS will also be reviewing rules governing the list of operating room emergency equipment that ASCs must have available as well as potentially duplicative infection control requirements.

The HHS regulatory relief plan may be reviewed at: http://www.slideshare.net/whitehouse/healthand-humanservicesregulatoryreformplanaugust2011