Expanding eligibility for Rural Emergency Hospitals under the Medicare program.
This bill adjusts the eligibility criteria for medical facilities seeking the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation under Medicare. The change allows facilities that were previously off-campus outpatient departments with a dedicated emergency department in a rural area to qualify for REH status. This aims to increase access to urgent medical care for rural residents, potentially improving health security and reducing response times in emergencies.
Key points
Facilitating the conversion of certain off-campus outpatient departments into Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH) if they operated as dedicated emergency departments in rural areas.
The expanded eligibility applies to facilities that met these criteria at any point between January 1, 2015, and the present.
A greater number of Rural Emergency Hospitals means better access to emergency care for Medicare beneficiaries living outside major cities.
Introduced
Citizen Poll