The typical anesthesia practice now includes a combination of traditional hospital facilities and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), endoscopy centers and other outpatient venues such as doctors' offices. With the continued migration of surgical cases from inpatient to outpatient place of service, a variety of service locations is considered essent...

We are in the fifth year of Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and most anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists are at least aware of the program, even if they are not participating.  Now it is the turn of the ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to start reporting quality measures to CMS or face payment penalties.Not only are anesthesiologists generally involved in the quality and safety protocols that ASCs must report, many are in leadership or management positions in their ASCs and have a particular interest in compliance with reporting requirements.  Whether or not they are directly responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the reporting—the new ASC requirements do not in any way require anesthesiologists to report any measures, but some may voluntarily assume the role within and for their facility—ASC anesthesiologists will benefit from understanding what procedural changes the facility is making, and why. Beginning October 1, 2012, the ASC Quality Reporting...