Episode 282 - Deep Dive into the Proposed 2027 CMS Payment Rule, Anesthesia Stipends, the NOPAIN Act, a $12M ASC Valuation Lawsuit - July 3, 2026ment Rule - July 3, 2026

In this episode of the ASC Podcast with John Goehle, we cover a money-focused news segment — the anesthesia stipend crisis by the numbers, a refresher on the NOPAIN Act and the separate Medicare payment it created for non-opioid pain management, and a $12 million ASC valuation lawsuit in Iowa. We also share a few things we've been seeing in the field. Then we go all-in on the big one: CMS's just-released proposed payment rule for 2027 — the proposed ASC update, the market-basket question, the Covered Procedures List, the device and NOPAIN provisions, quality-reporting changes, and the site-of-service savings — plus the summary and spreadsheet we built — and a video walkthrough coming to conferences.asc-central.com — to help you assess the impact on your center.

This episode is sponsored by Surgical Information Systems, RFX Solutions, Medserve and  Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies.

Notes and Resources from this Episode:

Anesthesia stipends by the numbers — Becker's ASC (June 12, 2026): beckersasc.com

The NOPAIN Act and separate Medicare payment for non-opioid pain management — ASC News: ascnews.com

NOPAIN Act — CMS, Non-Opioid Treatments for Pain Relief (payment details, 42 CFR 416.174): cms.gov

Iowa health system and physician group sue over a $12M ASC valuation gap — Becker's ASC: beckersasc.com

2027 Proposed Rule —

Resource Library: the CMS proposed rule (CMS-1850-P) and addenda, our comprehensive written summary of the rule, the impact spreadsheet, and the video walkthrough — all gathered in one place:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/j37wvj8v9h15lmbyhjri3/ABzhpV77rpOrshAXqCBv0oY?rlkey=h83k0pf1fb90lzi44463go4w9&dl=0

Video Seminar - “What CMS's Proposed 2027 Payment Rule Means for Your ASC” available on demand for free

https://conferences.asc-central.com/2027-payment-rule/