On January 30, the Biden-Harris administration announced its intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2023. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has resources available to help you prepare for the end of the PHE, including provider-specific fact sheets for information about COVID-19 PHE waivers and flexibilities.
Among these waivers is the Hospitals Without Walls initiative that allowed ASCs to temporarily enroll as hospitals. This allowance is set to expire along with the PHE declaration. “Under the Hospitals Without Walls initiative: CMS permitted ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) to temporarily reenroll as hospitals and to provide hospital services to help address the urgent need to increase hospital capacity to take care of patients. . . . When the PHE ends, ASCs must decide either to meet the certification standards for hospitals at 42 CFR Part 482, or return to ASC status. If they choose to return to ASC status, they can only be paid under the ASC payment system for services on the ASC Covered Procedures List.”
Updates will continue to be provided as the end of the PHE approaches, so please visit the CMS Current emergencies page for the most up-to-date information.