Comments Requested: CMS Issues Draft Guidance on Hospital Co-location – July 2. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks public input on draft guidance regarding how CMS and State Agency surveyors will evaluate a hospital’s co-location of space and staff when assessing the hospital’s compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs). It clarifies that sharing of staff may be done through a contractual arrangement where there are clear lines of authority and accountability and that sharing public areas, such as entrances and waiting rooms, would be permissible. RHIhub highlights several programs in rural communities that have used co-location of services and staff to improve efficiencies, including lessons learned about this approach. See Events section below for an upcoming session on this topic.
