Medicare Payment Reform for Catastrophic Brain and Spinal Injury Hospitals.
This law changes how Medicare pays a specific, highly specialized group of long-term care hospitals. Facilities focusing on severe spinal cord and acquired brain injuries will be exempted from the standard payment system to ensure their financial stability. For beneficiaries, this aims to secure continued access to high-quality, comprehensive, and research-driven rehabilitation and long-term care for catastrophic neurological conditions.
Key points
Establishes a new payment rule under Medicare for hospitals designated as "catastrophic specialty hospitals."
The designation applies only to hospitals where at least 80% of discharges relate to spinal cord or acquired brain injuries.
Exempting these facilities from standard payment rules supports their ability to provide costly, complex, and specialized neurorehabilitation services.
Hospitals must meet strict criteria, including high patient volume, serving out-of-state patients, and demonstrating commitment to neurorehabilitation research.
Expired
Citizen Poll