Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1156517
17 ASC MANAGEMENT The outpatient cardiology shift is coming By Angie Stewart I t's only a matter of time before revenue- generating cardiology cases shi from hos- pitals to ASCs, a transition that has great implications for Medicare costs, according to Ronald Hirsch, MD, who wrote an analysis on the matter for the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Eight takeaways from his paper: 1. CMS added 17 cardiac procedures, includ- ing le and right heart catheterization and cardiac angiography, to the list of ASC-ap- proved procedures in 2019. 2. In 2016, outpatient hospital settings per- formed more than 523,000 cardiac catheter- izations on Medicare beneficiaries using the CPT codes that are now approved for ASCs. is amounted to an estimated $682 million in Medicare payments. 3. Coronary angiography and interventions such as stent placements are oen performed electively. Previously, Medicare required those types of testing to be performed in a hospital. 4. Peripheral vascular interventions were the only cardiovascular procedures permitted in ASCs last year, and Medicare billed just 31 surgery centers for the procedures. 5. e freedom to perform cardiac catheter- ization and angiography in ASCs may lead more centers to add those offerings to their services. Additionally, Dr. Hirsch said, it creates reason for cardiologists to consider investing in ASCs. 6. Large cardiology groups could stand to gain from having at least one physician performing elective procedures at ASCs, according to Dr. Hirsch. 7. Dr. Hirsch cautioned that CMS' additions could incentivize a physician to perform elec- tive coronary angiography at an ASC and then schedule a stent at the hospital. By doing so, physicians could capture a second profes- sional fee. 8. CMS' approvals could decrease or increase Medicare costs, depending on a case's circum- stances, according to Dr. Hirsch. e decision also has serious implications for hospital finances. "e financial implication [of ] CMS's new ruling for both hospitals and the Medicare program bear close consideration," Dr. Hirsch said. "Clearly, hospitals would take a major financial hit if such testing were to shi from hospitals to predominantly ASCs."n Which states pay GIs the most? By Rachel Popa T he average annual pay for a gastroenterologist practicing in the U.S. is $347,500, according to jobseeker website ZipRecruiter. ZIpRecruiter compiles data from job postings on its website to determine average pay. Gastroenterologist salaries range from $300,000 to $400,000 across the U.S. How GI salaries stack up: 1. New York - $437,514 2. Massachusetts - $435,191 3. Maryland - $411,284 4. Connecticut - $403,311 5. Vermont - $401,542 6. Washington - $400,587 7. California - $400,553 8. Alaska - $400,000 9. North Dakota - $400,000 10. Nevada - $400,000 11. Idaho - $400,000 12. Wyoming - $400,000 13. Montana - $400,000 14. Nebraska - $398,759 15. Hawaii - $398,146 16. West Virginia - $392,318 17. Virginia - $390,829 18. Delaware - $388,927 19. Arizona - $387,364 20. New Hampshire - $382,601 21. Rhode Island - $381,475 22. Pennsylvania - $379,589 23. Colorado - $378,808 24. New Jersey - $378,657 25. Louisiana - $378,490 26. Minnesota - $377,940 27. South Dakota - $377,842 28. Oregon - $376,930 29. South Carolina - $376,904 30. Tennessee- $374,891 31. Ohio - $373,747 32. Kentucky - $372,702 33. Iowa - $372,061 34. Indiana - $371,725 35. Oklahoma - $370,820 36. Utah - $370,149 37. Kansas - $367,583 38. Wisconsin - $367,347 39. Alabama - $363,627 40. Georgia - $360,314 41. Texas - $359,747 42. Arkansas - $357,415 43. New Mexico - $357,257 44. Mississippi - $350,798 45. Maine - $350,785 46. Missouri - $350,195 47. Illinois - $350,195 48. Michigan - $348,415 49. Florida - $331,462 50. North Carolina - $310,770 n