Congressman Mike Bost (R-IL)

After meeting with a constituent during National Advocacy Day last spring, Representative Mike Bost (R-IL), former Illinois House of Representatives Republican caucus chair, firefighter and US Marine Corps corporal, signed up to be a cosponsor of the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023 (H.R. 972/S. 312).

Congressmen Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-OH), and John Larson (D-CT) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral act in the House and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), introduced the legislation in the Senate in February. If enacted, this crucial legislation will slow the widening disparity in Medicare payments between ASCs and hospital outpatient departments by making the hospital market basket the inflationary update factor permanently; add transparency and accessibility for patients trying to research quality metrics; require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to disclose the reasons procedures are denied reimbursement in the ASC setting; and add an ASC voice to the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment. Below is an interview with the congressman following his cosponsorship of the bill.