CMS Updates Hospital Co-Location Guidance
On Nov. 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published an update to its
2019 proposed memo aiming to clarify its position on hospitals co-locating with other hospitals or health care providers.
In its comments on the memo, the American Hospital Association said, “CMS has made important revisions that will allow hospitals and health systems the flexibility to utilize co-location agreements to improve services and efficiency, ultimately benefitting the patients and communities they serve.”
WHA has long requested that CMS clarify its policy from 2016.
In brief, the CMS memo recognizes hospitals can be co-located with other health care providers; emphasizes that each co-located entity must demonstrate compliance with all applicable Medicare and Medicaid requirements; provides guidance regarding shared space, staffing requirements, contracted services and emergency services; and states that the guidance does not apply to critical access hospitals (CAHs), given the applicability of certain distance and location requirements. CMS states that while it wants to allow flexibility for co-location arrangements, it wants to do so while simultaneously protecting the safety and quality of care for patients.
Contact WHA's
Jon Hoelter with questions.
This story originally appeared in the November 18, 2021 edition of WHA Newsletter