ASC Daily Briefing — June 28, 2026

By consulting | June 28, 2026 |

🔴 Urgent / Action Required

CY 2026 OPPS/ASC Final Rule is in effect. The CY 2026 OPPS/ASC Final Rule with comment period (CMS-1834-FC) took effect January 1, 2026. Confirm billing and quality teams have implemented the 2.6% rate update and the expanded covered-procedures list. Source: Federal Register — CY 2026 OPPS/ASC Final Rule
Florida ASC prior authorization demonstration is live. CMS’s five-year prior-authorization demonstration for certain services in Florida ASCs applies to dates of service on or after December 15, 2025. Florida centers must build prior-auth workflows to avoid denials. Source: Medicare Updates for ASCs in 2026 — HIA

Inpatient-Only (IPO) list phase-out begins in 2026. CMS is removing 269 musculoskeletal plus 16 cardiovascular, digestive, gynecological, and endovascular procedures as the first batch, with full elimination targeted by Jan 1, 2029 (some analyses cite an accelerated 2028 target). This expands ASC-eligible volume. Source: Medicare’s Inpatient Only List to end — IMO Health
ASC Covered Procedures List expanded. CMS revised the criteria (removing five exclusion criteria, now reframed as nonbinding physician safety considerations) and added 276 procedures, plus 271 codes coming off the IPO list. Source: CMS CY 2026 OPPS/ASC Fact Sheet
ASCQR quality measures trimmed. CMS finalized removal of four ASCQR measures, including COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel, Facility Commitment to Health Equity, and two SDOH screening measures, and codified the Extraordinary Circumstances Exception policy. Source: CMS CY 2026 OPPS/ASC Final Rule (CMS-1834-FC)
Quarterly device/drug pass-through evaluation. Beginning CY 2026, CMS evaluates new separately payable products quarterly rather than annually, with payment applied retroactively to the eligibility date. Five drugs and thirteen devices currently qualify. Source: Medicare Updates for ASCs in 2026 — HIA

AAAHC v44 Standards now in their first full survey year. 2026 is the first full survey cycle under v44, with expanded emphasis on data collection/outcomes, alignment with state scope-of-practice rules, and integration of survey results into Quality Roadmap reports. AAAHC is also previewing v45 Standards (including AI governance). Source: Accreditation: What Leaders Need to Know in 2026 — OR Today
Joint Commission standards streamlined. For 2026, TJC combined Environment of Care and Life Safety into a single Physical Environment chapter and reduced its overall standards by roughly 50%. Update survey-prep checklists and crosswalks. Source: Accreditation: What Leaders Need to Know in 2026 — OR Today
QUAD A (AAAASF) CMS-approval application in Federal Register. A March 10, 2026 Federal Register notice covers AAAASF’s application for continued CMS approval of its Rural Health Clinic accreditation program — relevant for tracking the accreditor’s deemed-status standing. Source: Federal Register — AAAASF RHC Accreditation Application

Three accreditors, diverging niches. Among the three CMS-approved ASC accreditors, QUAD A is favored for office-based/procedural practices needing strong surgeon credentialing and safety transparency, while The Joint Commission is preferred for broad national recognition. Source: ASC Accreditation Options — SIS
Infection control remains a core survey focus. 42 CFR §416.51 continues to require an infection-control program following nationally recognized guidelines under a designated, qualified professional — a perennial top citation area. Source: CMS ASC Requirements Guide 2026 — Envigilance