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On November 25^th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlined unprecedented comprehensive steps to increase the capacity of the American health care system to provide care to patients outside a traditional hospital setting amid a rising number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations across the country. These flexibilities include allowances for safehospital care for eligible patients in their homes and updated staffing flexibility designed to allow ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) to provide greater inpatient care when needed.

To help states consider and implement the available flexibilities, CMS Administrator Verma sent out a letter to Governors on December 7^th that you can find here. You can also find more information on our work to enhance hospital capacity here.