Map room · Facility data
CMS facility data can locate certified ambulatory surgical centers and report defined quality measures. A dot on a map is evidence of a listed facility, not proof that it performs a particular procedure, accepts a patient’s coverage or has an appointment available.
Before this page can go live: assign an editor. Confirmed-profile candidates include Jodi Segal, MD, MPH and Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH. Their names here express topic fit only.
Four layers, four different claims
Layer 1
Facility identity
Name, address and CMS certification number.
Layer 2
Reported measures
Measure-specific results and reporting periods.
Layer 3
Service capability
Procedures, clinicians and operating schedules.
Layer 4
Usable access
Referral, coverage, travel and appointment reality.
The CMS record is specific
The CMS Provider Data Catalog publishes facility-level information for Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting. The Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Measures dataset provides a data table, dictionary, downloadable file and API. When checked in August 2026, its catalog entry identified CMS as publisher and included a 2024 reporting year for listed measures.
The file is useful for locating participating facilities and examining the measures it actually contains. It should not be expanded into a general directory of all procedures. Quality-reporting data can include missing or suppressed values, small-number notices and measure-specific comparison categories. Each has a defined meaning in the data dictionary.
A map needs an audit trail
- Keep the CMS certification number as the facility key.
- Preserve the address exactly before geocoding.
- Record the geocoder and match quality.
- Flag duplicate names and shared addresses.
- Publish the dataset release and map-build date.
Geocoding introduces a second source. A point may be placed at a ZIP centroid, street segment or exact building, depending on the match. Distance estimates should identify which precision was available. Otherwise, a visually polished map can overstate the accuracy of its underlying locations.
Facility presence is not patient access
A patient may live near an ambulatory surgical center and still need care elsewhere because the relevant procedure, anesthesia capability, surgeon, payer contract or risk setting differs. Conversely, a center outside the county may be the normal referral destination. Straight-line distance does not capture travel time, public transport or referral networks.
For policy research, facility density can be a descriptive starting point. It becomes an access measure only after the analysis defines the service and adds population, travel, referral and availability evidence. The headline should reflect that distinction.
What not to infer from the map
- A listed center offers every outpatient procedure.
- A missing measure means a service was absent.
- Nearest by distance means available to the patient.
- Facility count equals surgical workforce capacity.
Verify a center before using the claim
Researchers can compare the CMS record with state licensure and the facility’s current service information. Patients should confirm the procedure, clinician, referral and coverage directly with the treating team and facility. This dataset does not decide whether outpatient surgery is appropriate for an individual.