EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/1538634
ASCRS NEWS Contact Hewitt: suehewitt111@gmail.com 16 | EYEWORLD | FALL 2025 a 2.5% update for CY26. Therefore, the conver- sion factor for QPs is $33.59, while the conver- sion factor for nonqualifying QPs is $33.42. The CY 2026 proposed MPFS conversion factors of $33.59 and $33.42 represent a 3.83% and 3.62% increase from the CY 2025 MPFS conversion factor (CF) of $32.3465. CY 2026 proposed MPFS conversion factor reflects the following: • Mandated updates of 0.75% for APM QPs and 0.25% for nonqualifying participants • Mandated 2.5% update for CY26 enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 • Estimated +0.55% adjustment necessary to account for proposed changes in work RVUs for some services Under the 2026 ASC Proposed Rule, CMS proposed to adjust the CY 2025 ASC conversion factor ($54.895) by the proposed wage index budget neutrality factor of 0.9999 in addition to the proposed productivity-adjusted hospital market basket update of 2.4%, which resulted in a proposed CY 2026 ASC conversion factor of $56.207 for ASCs meeting the quality reporting requirements. For ASCs not meeting the quality reporting requirements, CMS proposed to adjust the CY continued from page 14 2025 ASC conversion factor ($53.828) by the proposed wage index budget neutrality factor of 0.9999 in addition to the quality reporting/ productivity-adjusted hospital market basket update of 0.4%, which results in a proposed CY 2026 ASC conversion factor of $55.109 for ASCs not meeting the quality reporting require- ments. CMS also proposed extending the utiliza- tion of the hospital market basket update as the update factor for the ASC payment system for one additional year, through CY 2026, while CMS continues to study the migration of outpa- tient surgical procedures. The proposed ASC payment rate for cataract surgery, CPT 66984, was estimated to decrease by 5% of the CY25 payment rate of $1,371. Overall, CMS proposed a 2% de- crease in eye surgical procedure payments. The decrease is due to relative decline in the OPPS relative weights for the Level 1 Intraocular Procedures APC, which is attributable to the rel- ative decline in hospital geometric mean costs for procedures assigned to this APC. Join the ASCRS Foundation 20/20 Wine Club The ASCRS Foundation 20/20 Wine Club is a partnership between the Foundation, Jessup Cellars, and Handwritten Wines. The ASCRS Foundation 20/20 Wine Club consists of a cus- tomizable selection of wine (6–12 bottles of your choosing from Jessup Cellars and Handwritten Wines) to arrive at your doorstep every spring and fall. With your membership, a portion of the proceeds go to support the ASCRS Foundation. Join us for a Virtual Wine Tasting event on November 20, hosted by the ASCRS Foundation 20/20 Wine Club, benefiting Operation Sight and the ASCRS Foundation. Keep your eyes open for more details about this exciting live online event where you can enjoy and learn more about the wines from Jessup Cellars and Handwritten Wines. You'll be guided by experts who will share tasting tips and secrets. Plus, test your knowledge with some fun trivia—all for a great cause! Members and non-members are invited to join us for this event. Stay tuned for more details on how you can be part of this unforgettable evening!