Monday, June 22, 2026 · Next briefing · Tue & Thu · 6:30am ET
ASCNews
Policy, payment, and market intelligence
for ambulatory surgery centers.
Latest · Radar

Radar

Every weekday we sweep five desks against primary sources. Here's what we checked, what's on the radar but not yet a story, and the dates ahead — so a quiet news day reads as diligence, not a gap.

Last swept today

5 desks checked over a 3 days window — Policy, Reimbursement, Deals, Specialties, Data.

  • 0 stories published
  • 0 calendar updates
  • 0 tracker changes

No new story cleared the bar this sweep — a correct outcome. We don't manufacture news; we publish only when a primary source shows ASC economics moving.

On the radar

Tracked, not yet a story — each anchored to a primary source.
  • Policy

    H.R.8091 — Outpatient Surgery Access Act of 2026

    No movement since introduction on 2026-03-25; one cosponsor, no markup, hearing, floor action, or Senate companion. Watching each sweep.

    Would align the ASC annual update with the hospital outpatient factor from 2027 and remove ASC budget-neutrality drag — directly ASC-economic.

    Primary source ↗
  • Reimbursement

    CMS Q3 (July 2026) ASC payment addenda

    Not yet posted; latest posted files remain the January and April 2026 updates. The quarterly file typically lands late June or early July.

    A new file moves the reimbursement tracker.

    Primary source ↗
  • Reimbursement

    CY2027 OPPS/ASC proposed rule

    Not yet released; on the annual cycle it tracks to mid-July. The Federal Register CMS feed shows no proposed rule in this window.

    Sets the CY2027 ASC update factor and covered-procedures list — the biggest reimbursement day of the year.

    Primary source ↗
  • Reimbursement

    Anthem out-of-network facility penalty — California expansion

    Reported in trade press to expand to California (eff. 2026-06-01), but the primary Anthem policy still lists only the original 11 states. Holding until a primary California notice or court order appears.

    California Hospital Association v. Anthem (LA County Superior Court) bears on enforceability.

    Primary source ↗

Dates ahead

Verified dated items the sweep is tracking. Full calendar →
  1. Jul01 Reimb. Anthem out-of-network facility penalty — New York Nonpar-provider facility penalty effective; rollout contested
  2. Jul10 Policy FTC comment deadline — Ascension/AMSURG ASC divestitures Consent order; 7 centers, 5 markets
  3. Jul15 Policy CY2027 OPPS/ASC proposed rule (expected) Per annual cycle · CY26 rule came Jul 17
  4. Jul17 Data MedPAC July 2026 Data Book (expected) 2025 edition posted Jul 17
  5. Aug03 Reimb. Federal IDR (No Surprises Act) final rule effective New OON dispute portal, batching, fees
  6. Sep01 Reimb. Aetna 15% CT technical-component cut Modifier CT · applies to OPPS/ASC
  7. Sep01 Reimb. Aetna Market Fee Schedule update — MI, MN, WI
  8. Sep03 Event MedPAC public meeting Sep 3–4 · Washington
  9. Oct01 Reimb. Aetna Market Fee Schedule update — IL, IN, MO
  10. Oct01 Policy Connecticut PA 26-68 — first CON sections effective OHS→DPH; relocation / added-OR relief
  11. Oct08 Event MedPAC public meeting
  12. Oct14 Event NASS 41st Annual Meeting · San Antonio Oct 14–17
  13. Oct29 Event Becker's 32nd Annual ASC · Chicago Oct 29–31
  14. Nov05 Event MedPAC public meeting
  15. Nov15 Policy CY2027 OPPS/ASC final rule (expected) CY26 final issued Nov 21
  16. Dec10 Event MedPAC public meeting
  17. Mar31 Event ASCA 2027 · Orlando, FL Mar 31 – Apr 3 · save the date
  18. Jul01 Policy Connecticut PA 26-68 — full CON process effective
  19. Jan01 Policy Medicare Inpatient-Only list fully eliminated Final rule preamble; codified text carries a stray 2029

Recent sweeps

6 sweeps on record.
  1. Mon, Jun 22 Swept — no new stories. 5 desks checked.
  2. Fri, Jun 19 Swept — no new stories. 5 desks checked.
  3. Wed, Jun 17 Swept — no new stories. 5 desks checked.
  4. Tue, Jun 16 Swept — no new stories. 5 desks checked.
  5. Mon, Jun 15 Swept — no new stories. 5 desks checked.
  6. Sun, Jun 14 12 stories published Aetna cuts the CT technical component 15% on Sept. 1 — and it reaches OPPS, not just the fee schedule ·Mississippi doubles its Certificate-of-Need dollar thresholds ·Anthem to dock NY facilities 7.5% of the claim for out-of-network care, starting July 1 ·Connecticut rewrites its CON program: OHS's review power moves to DPH, with a new 3-member panel ·Arizona-based shell raises $21M to buy ASCs, SEC filing shows ·The 2026 ASC valuation gap: single centers fetch 5x-8x, platforms 11x-17x ·ChristianaCare puts cath, ablation and device implants into a $9.3M cardiovascular ASC ·CMS's new open-data release gives ASCs a HOPD benchmark — but no ASC dataset ·The cardiology societies signed off on ASC ablation — and that's the part that de-risks the build ·Lumbar fusion codes 22630 and 22633 land on the ASC list for 2026 — five years after CMS first opened, then shut, the door ·Surgery Partners spent $4M on deals in Q1 against a $200M-a-year pace ·USPI booked half its 2026 deal budget in Q1 — and the math caps what sellers can ask