Provider Enrollment with A/B MAC (A) - Ambulatory Surgical

40.2.1 - Provider Enrollment with A/B MAC (A) - Ambulatory Surgical Services (Rev. 1325; Issued: 08-29-07; Effective: 01-01-08; Implementation: 01-07-08) For dates of service prior to January 1, 2008, IHS providers that want to bill for surgeries on the ambulatory surgical center (ASC) list and receive the ASC rate must contact their designated A/B MAC (A). IHS providers are certified by one of several national accrediting organizations recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and meet the conditions for performing ASC procedures. The IHS hospital outpatient departments are not certified as separate ASC entities. The ASC indication merely means that CMS approved them to bill for ASC services and be paid based on the ASC rates for services on the ASC list. In order to bill for ASC services, the hospital outpatient department must meet the conditions of participation for hospitals defined in 42 CFR, Part 482. Authority for Medicare to pay IHS hospital outpatient departments using the freestanding ASC rates was incorporated into Public Health Service regulations on December 27, 1989. The first IHS hospital requested to bill separately for ASC procedures at the appropriate ASC group payment amounts in March 1987. HCFA (now CMS) approved payment of the ASC group payment amounts for dates of service on or after October 1, 1987. Previously, the hospital was reimbursed for ASC procedures at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) negotiated all inclusive rate (AIR) for outpatient hospital services. The rationale for approving this request was that the hospital was already JCAHO certified, encompassing the ability to perform outpatient surgical procedures, and that acute care hospitals providing surgical inpatient or outpatient services can perform any surgical procedures within their capacity and capability. For dates of service prior to January 1, 2008, in order for IHS providers to bill for ASC procedures and receive payment based on the ASC rates published in the Federal Register, the designated A/B MAC (A) must update the IHS/ASC cert indicator on the provider file to ‘Y’. A ‘Y’ in this field indicates that the IHS provider or ASC is certified under IHS and their claims should be processed through ASC Pricer, ensuring the IHS provider is paid based on the ASC price rather than the AIR. Reimbursement is made based on the AIR until the A/B MAC (A) updates the IHS/ASC cert indicator to a ‘Y’. See §§100.6 and 100.6.1 of this chapter for information on the payment policy and claims processing for ASC services. NOTE: Effective for dates of service on or after January 1, 2008, the A/B MAC (A) no longer processes claims for IHS ASCs. All IHS ASC providers, including hospital outpatient departments requesting payment based on freestanding ASC rates and ASCs affiliated with a hospital but operating as a distinct entity for the purpose of performing outpatient surgical services must enroll with and submit their claims to the designated A/B MAC (B).