Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act

Section 1861(kkk)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)(3)) is amended, in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking as of and inserting at any point during the period beginning on January 1, 2015, and ending on.

Section 1861(kkk)(3) of the Social Security (42 U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)(3), as amended by subsection (a), is amended—

(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively;

(2) by striking described.—A facility and inserting “ described.—

Subject to subparagraph (B), a facility

(2) ; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this subparagraph, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to waive subparagraph (A) with respect to facilities that operate similarly to a rural emergency hospital in order for such facilities to be eligible for conversion to a rural emergency hospital under this subsection.

(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking and at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:

(C) maintain or include a unit of the facility that is a distinct part licensed as an inpatient psychiatric unit for behavioral health patients and allows for inpatient care;

(D) maintain or include a unit of the facility that is a distinct part licensed as an inpatient rehabilitation facility and allows for inpatient care; and

(E) maintain or include a unit of the facility that is a distinct part unit licensed as an obstetric wing, labor and delivery unit, or obstetric emergency department.

(1) by striking hospitals.— and all that follows through In the case and inserting “ hospitals.—

In the case

(1) ; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

In the case of clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and other diagnostic laboratory tests that are not covered OPD services (as defined in section 1833(t)(1)(B)) furnished by a rural emergency hospital (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2)) on or after January 1, 2025, the amount of payment for such tests shall be equal to the amount of payment that would otherwise apply under the applicable fee schedule, increased by 5 percent to reflect the higher costs incurred by such hospitals, and shall include the application of any copayment amount determined under this part as if such increase had not occurred

(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking and at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting; and; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

(D) may enter into an agreement described in section 1883.

(1) in paragraph (1)(D), by inserting or rural emergency hospitals (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2)) after critical access hospitals; and

(2) in paragraph (3)(A), by inserting or rural emergency hospitals (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2)) after small rural hospitals.