Medicare Proposes 2.4% ASC Reimbursement Increase

On July 2, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Proposed Rule (Proposed Rule), which outlines proposed changes to payments made by Medicare to hospitals and surgery centers for outpatient services. The Proposed Rule details significant updates for next year, including:

• OPPS/ASC Reimbursement Increase: CMS proposes an increase to OPPS and ASC payment rates of 2.4% for providers that meet applicable quality reporting requirements, reflecting a projected 3.2% hospital market basket increase reduced by a 0.8 percentage point productivity adjustment.
• Site-Neutral Payment Policy Expansion: CMS proposes to expand its method for controlling unnecessary increases in outpatient service volume in excepted off-campus provider-based departments. Specifically, the Proposed Rule would set reimbursement for imaging without contrast services performed in certain