,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cjhe  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,december #ah1 
#bjai,mr4 ,crapo 7for himself and ,mr4  
,blumenthal7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill
  ,to amend title ,,xviii of the ,social
 ,security ,act to modernize payments   
for ambulatory surgical centers under   
the ,medicare program1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,ambulatory         
,surgical ,center ,quality and ,access  
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,aligning updates   
for ambulatory surgical center services 
with updates for ,,opd services ,section
 #ahcc7;i77#b77;,d7 of the ,social      
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciel7i77#b77;,d77 is amended--  7#a7  
in clause 7v7-- 7,a7 in the first       
sentence1 by inserting before the period
 the following3 and1 in the case of     
#bjbj or a subsequent year1 by the      
adjustment described in subsection      

7t77#c77;,g7 for the respective year2   
and  7,b7 by moving the margin #f ems to
 the left2  7#b7 by redesignating clause
 7vi7 as clause 7vii72 and  7#c7 by     
inserting after clause 7v7 the following
 new clause3  7vi7 ,in implementing the 
system described in clause 7i7 for #bjbj
 and each subsequent year1 there shall  
be an annual update under such system   
for the year equal to the ,,opd fee     
schedule increase factor specified under
 subsection 7t77#c77;,c77iv7 for such   
year1 adjusted in accordance with       
clauses 7iv7 and 7v74  4  #c4           
,transparency of quality reporting and  
,medicare beneficiary information       
,paragraph 7#g7 of section #ahcc7;i7 of 
the ,social ,security ,act 7#db         
,u4,s4,c4 #aciel7i77 is amended by      
adding at the end the following new     
subparagraphs3  7,c7 ,to the extent that
 quality measures implemented by the    
,secretary under this paragraph for     
ambulatory surgical centers and under   
section #ahcc7t77#ag7 for hospital      

outpatient departments are applicable to
 the provision of surgical services in  
both ambulatory surgical centers and    
hospital outpatient departments1 the    
,secretary shall make reported data on  
such centers and departments available  
on the website ,medicare4gov in a manner
 that will permit side-by-side          
comparisons on such measures for        
ambulatory surgical centers and hospital
 outpatient departments in the same     
geographic area4  7,d7 ,the ,secretary  
shall ensure that an ambulatory surgery 
center and a hospital has the           
opportunity to review1 and submit any   
corrections for1 the data to be made    
public with respect to the ambulatory   
surgery center under subparagraph 7,c7  
prior to such data being made public4   
7,e7 ,the ,secretary shall develop      
materials and inform beneficiaries under
 this title of publicly available       
comparisons provided for in subparagraph
 7,c74  4  #d4 ,advisory ,panel on      
,hospital ,outpatient ,payment          

,representation  7a7 ,,asc              
representative ,the second sentence of  
section #ahcc7t77#i77;,a7 of the ,social
 ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4          
#aciel7t77#i77;,a77 is amended by       
inserting and suppliers subject to the  
prospective payment system 7including at
 least one ambulatory surgical center   
representative7 after an appropriate    
selection of representatives of         
providers4  7b7 ,effective date ,the    
amendment made by subsection 7a7 shall  
take effect on the date of the enactment
 of this ,act4  #e4 ,reasons for        
excluding additional procedures from    
,,asc approved list  7a7 ,in general    
,section #ahcc7;i77#a7 of the ,social   
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciel7i77#a77 is amended by adding at  
the end the following3 ,in updating such
 lists for application in years         
beginning after the date of the         
enactment of this sentence1 for each    
procedure that was requested to be      
included in such lists during the public

 comment period but which the ,secretary
 does not propose 7in the final rule    
updating such lists7 to so include in   
such lists1 the ,secretary shall cite in
 such final rule the specific criteria  
in paragraph 7b7 or 7c7 of section      
#daf4aff of title #db1 ,code of ,federal
 ,regulations1 based on which the       
procedure was excluded4 ,if paragraph   
7b7 of such section is cited for        
exclusion of a procedure1 the ,secretary
 shall identify the peer reviewed       
research or the evidence upon which such
 determination is based44  7b7          
,effective date ,the amendment made by  
subsection 7a7 shall apply to lists of  
ambulatory surgery procedures for       
application in years beginning after the
 date of the enactment of this ,act4