When they are done on an outpatient basis, the very same procedures won’t come with a possible three-day stay needed to trigger coverage of skilled nursing care.

The Medicare Inpatient Only (IPO) list details the procedures that Medicare will cover in an inpatient setting. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases the IPO list each year. The ...

CMS is moving a major share of complex procedures out of the inpatient-only bucket and into outpatient settings, a shift ASC leaders say could accelerate industry growth, especially in spine, ...

On July 15, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) issued a proposed rule for the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). As part of the proposed rule, ...

A plan to phase out a list of procedures that can be performed only on an inpatient basis has major implications for skilled nursing coverage post-surgery, a major aging services advocacy group is ...

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the 1657-page final rule for inpatient payment for calendar year 2026, a document chock full of important policy decisions including a ...

The 2026 OPPS proposed rule offers a modest 2.4% payment update, along with some major policy shifts. CMS is pushing for an expansion of site-neutral cuts, tougher price transparency enforcement, and ...

With CMS preparing major policy changes, ASC leaders are weighing in on which moves will most affect the sector’s growth in the coming years. Nine executives and physicians recently weighed in with ...

Site-neutral payment is emerging as one of the most consequential Medicare reforms for musculoskeletal care. By equalizing reimbursement across hospital outpatient departments, ASCs and physician ...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' push to move procedures from inpatient to less expensive outpatient care continues, with revenue at risk for lucrative joint replacement starting in ...