CMS administrator Seema Verma sent a letter to Philadelphia-based Wills Eye Hospital saying the agency is reviewing their hospital surveyor guidance to assess whether Wills Eye should have a hospital or ASC designation, according to philly.com.
Here are four things to know:
1. Under Medicare, Wills Eye is classified as an ASC and has had that designation since July 2006 since it sold its inpatient business. After the sale, CMS classified Wills Eye as an ASC.
2. Will Eyes has sought a hospital designation since 2013 when it finished a renovation including a four-bed inpatient unit. Despite the addition, Medicare officials said Wills Eye lacked a sufficient number of inpatients to qualify as a hospital.
3. In the letter, Ms. Verma said Wills Eye can reapply for Medicare certification as a hospital and a CMS surveyor will look at its "capability and capacity to provide inpatient care."
4. Wills Eye officials have not commented to philly.com regarding the news at this point in time.