Medicare program; update of ratesetting methodology, payment rates, payment policies, and the list of covered procedures for ambulatory surgical centers effective October 1, 1998; reopening of comment period and delay in adoption of the proposed rule as final--HCFA. Notice of reopening of comment period for proposed rule and delay in adoption of provisions of the proposed rule as final.

This notice reopens the comment period for a proposed rule affecting Medicare payments to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) that was originally published in the Federal Register on June 12, 1998 (63 FR 32290). This document gives notice of a delay in the adoption of the provisions of the June 12, 1998 ASC proposed rule as a final rule to be concurrent with the adoption as final of the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (PPS) that is the subject of a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on September 8, 1998 (63 FR 47551). In addition this document confirms that the current ASC payment rates that are effective for services furnished on or after October 1, 1998, will remain in effect until rebased ASC rates and the provisions of the June 12, 1998 ASC proposed rule are adopted as final to be concurrent with the adoption as final of the Medicare hospital PPS.