Which year did Medicare begin paying for surgical procedures provided in an ASC?

• A. 1980
• B. 1982
• C. 1984
• D. 1990

Answer: (B)

Medicare began paying for surgical procedures delivered in ambulatory surgical centers in 1982. This happened with the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), which created a reimbursement pathway for ASC services under Medicare Part B and established a facility fee structure separate from the physician services. This change formally recognized ASCs as a covered setting for outpatient surgery and laid the groundwork for how these procedures would be paid. Before 1982, there wasn’t a dedicated Medicare payment stream for surgeries performed in ASCs, so this year marks the start of Medicare reimbursement for ASC-delivered procedures.