On September 10, the AAO-HNS submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) and Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) proposed rule. The Academy’s comments addressed the following issues most significantly impacting the specialty:
- Continuation of the hospital market basket update;
- Changes to the list of ASC covered services;
- Updated APC classification for hypoglossal nerve stimulation;
- Addition of CPT 31295 to the device intensive list;
- Removal of CPT 31298 from the device intensive list; and
- Changes to the inpatient only (IPO) list.
CMS is expected to issue the final rule in November. Once released, AAO-HNS staff will provide members with a summary and analysis of the rule’s final policies and CMS’s responses to our recommendations.
