Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program

The ASCQR Program utilizes quality of care measurement, information transparency through public reporting, and quality improvement to promote higher quality health care at ambulatory surgical centers. This program is intended for Medicare beneficiaries and was implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Participation in the ASCQR program requires ambulatory surgical centers to submit quality metrics, such as:

• Patient fall

• Patient burn

• All-cause hospital transfer/admission

• 90-day cataract improvement following surgery

• Appropriate follow-up for a routine colonoscopy in average-risk patients

• Unplanned anterior vitrectomy

• Normothermia outcome

• 7-day risk-standardized hospital visit rate after outpatient colonoscopy

• 7-day hospital visits after general surgery procedures

• Hospital visits after urology procedures

• Hospital visits after orthopedic procedures

• COVID-19 vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel

• Wrong site, wrong side, wrong patient, wrong procedure, wrong implant

If an ambulatory surgical center meets the program requirements for a given calendar year, they receive their full payment update for the following calendar year. The centers that do not meet these requirements, or do not participate, may see a 2% reduction in their Medicare payment update.