Archive for August 2026

New Today AAAHC’s August Triangle Times Today (published today) is the first document that explains how v45 will actually be scored — and the answer changes the risk profile of the AI standards considerably. Most of the new AI Standards are designated Level 0: if cited as deficient, no Plan of Correction is required and…

🆕 New Today FTC approved the final consent order in the Ascension Health–AmSurg deal (August 25, 2026), requiring divestiture of seven ASCs. Ascension must divest seven AmSurg ambulatory surgery centers across Nashville TN, Panama City FL, Tulsa OK, Waco TX, and Wichita KS as a condition of the $3.9B acquisition — six going to SC…

New Today No new items today. See the ASC Standing Compliance Reference for items currently in effect. Direct source checks this run: the Federal Register API returned zero documents referencing “ambulatory surgical center” — or the broader “ambulatory surgery center / accrediting organization” terms — published on or after August 22, 2026. ASC Focus Digital…

No new items today. See the ASC Standing Compliance Reference for the items currently in effect. Direct source checks this run: the Federal Register API returned zero documents referencing “ambulatory surgical center” published on or after August 21, 2026. ASC Focus Digital Debut loaded cleanly — the most recent article remains the HIPAA Biannual Update…

New Today No new items today. See the Standing Compliance Reference for the items currently in effect. This run covered the weekend gap since the August 21 briefing and surfaced nothing not already captured. Direct source checks: the Federal Register returned zero documents referencing “ambulatory surgical center” published on or after August 19, 2026. ASC…

New Today Surgical smoke evacuation is now mandated in 22 states — Maryland, Michigan, and Delaware are the newest. Michigan HB 4779 (signed July 21, 2026) is effective immediately and requires health facilities including ASCs to use a smoke plume evacuation system during any surgical procedure involving heat-producing equipment likely to generate smoke. Delaware HB…

New Today AAAHC v45 Standards take effect for surveys conducted on or after December 15, 2026. Yesterday’s briefing flagged the missing effective date as an open question; AAAHC’s announcement page confirms it. That is roughly 17 weeks out, and it lands mid-December, so any ASC with a survey window opening in Q1 2027 (or an…

New Today AAAHC released v45 Standards across all accreditation and certification programs (August 18, 2026). The headline change is a comprehensive AI governance framework — the first ASC accreditation standard set to treat artificial intelligence as a governed clinical/administrative technology rather than a peripheral IT concern. If your center uses AI scribes, scheduling/triage tools, imaging…

New Today CMS opens comment period on the RAPID device coverage pathway (CMS-3487-NC) — comments due October 13, 2026. CMS issued a proposed procedural notice establishing the Regulatory Alignment for Predictable and Immediate Device (RAPID) coverage pathway, which would accelerate Medicare coverage for eligible Class II FDA-designated Breakthrough Devices participating in FDA’s TAP program and…

No new items today. See the ASC Standing Compliance Reference for the items currently in effect. Today’s searches surfaced only items already captured on the standing reference or in recent briefings: the CY 2027 OPPS/ASC Proposed Rule (CMS-1850-P, published in the Federal Register July 7, comment deadline August 31, 2026), the CY 2026 OPPS/ASC Final…