Hospital and provider groups cheer new CMS flexibility on telehealth, capacity and ACO losses

Hospital groups largely cheered a raft of regulatory changes made by the Trump administration to expand telehealth and waive penalties for expanding capacity to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the changes Thursday, which include making it easier for hospitals to establish drive-thru and parking lot testing facilities and helping accountable care organizations (ACOs) mitigate major losses sparked by COVID-19.

The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) was pleased that CMS will adjust its financial methodology to account for the impact of COVID-19 costs.

This will ensure that ACOs are “treated equitably regardless of the extent to which their patient populations are affected by the pandemic,” CMS said.

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