CMS Waives Regulations to Create ‘Hospitals Without Walls’

In anticipation of a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced sweeping regulatory changes this week to give health systems greater flexibility to respond to the pandemic. As part of its “Hospitals Without Walls” initiative, CMS will issue waivers to allow hospitals and health systems to bill government insurance programs for services rendered in unconventional settings such as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), rehab hospitals and hotels. Using ASCs could boost the national capacity of intensive care beds by 21%, according to one recent study. CMS is also giving hospitals greater flexibility to expand the health care workforce; perform COVID-19 tests in community settings; transfer non-infected patients between facilities; and make use of telehealth. (HealthLeaders Media story, 3/31/20)