Why Leading ASCs Treat Denial Management as an EBITDA Protection Strategy

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For many Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), denial management has traditionally been viewed as a back-office billing task. Claims were denied, staff corrected errors, appeals were submitted, and payments were eventually collected. In 2026, however, leading surgery centers are treating denial management very differently. They now view it as a direct EBITDA protection strategy that influences profitability, cash flow, valuation, and long-term growth. This shift is occurring because denial-related revenue loss extends far beyond unpaid claims. Every denied claim creates additional labor expense, delays cash flow, increases accounts receivable (AR), consumes management time, and reduces operating margin. When denial rates rise, EBITDA can decline even if surgical volume remains strong. As reimbursement pressure increases, more ASCs are investing in specialized ASC Billing Services , comprehensive medical billing services , advanced RCM services , and proactive Revenue Integrity programs ...
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Removal of Temporary Emergency Waivers for Nursing Home

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During the Public Health Emergency (PHE), The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) used a combination of emergency waivers, regulations, and sub-regulatory guidance to offer healthcare providers the flexibility needed to respond to the pandemic. In certain cases, these flexibilities suspended requirements in order to address acute and extraordinary circumstances. Now, CMS is taking steps to continue to protect nursing home residents’ health and safety by announcing guidance that restores certain minimum standards for compliance with CMS requirements. We shared a recent update on the removal of temporary emergency waivers for nursing homes, inpatient hospices, ICF/IIDs, and ESRD facilities.

Emergency Waivers for Nursing Home

Restoring these standards will be accomplished by phasing out some temporary emergency declaration waivers that have been in effect throughout the COVID-19 PHE. These temporary emergency waivers were designed to provide facilities with the flexibility needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS is ending specific waivers in two groups: one group of waivers will terminate 30 days from the issuance of this new guidance, and the other group will terminate 60 days from issuance. These timeframes give providers and state agencies time to adjust their operations to the reinstituted requirements.

With steadily increasing vaccination rates for nursing home residents and staff, and with overall improvements seen in nursing homes’ abilities to respond to COVID-19 outbreaks, CMS is taking steps to phase out certain flexibilities that are generally no longer needed to re-establish certain minimum standards while continuing to protect the health and safety of those residing in skilled nursing facilities/nursing facilities (SNFs/NFs). Similarly, some of the same waivers are also being terminated for inpatient hospices, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities.

To know more about the recent update on the removal of temporary emergency waivers for nursing homes, inpatient hospices, ICF/IIDs, and ESRD facilities. click here: https://bit.ly/3KWWO3E Contact us at info@medicalbillersandcoders.com/ 888-357-3226.

Location: United States

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