Rep. Miller-Meeks
The needs and challenges of rural hospitals to maintain healthcare access for their patients must be prioritized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as it implements guidelines for a new voluntary Medicare payment for rural hospitals, according to U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA).
CMS is developing guidelines for Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designations established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 that enable rural hospitals the option to right-size their healthcare infrastructure while maintaining essential medical services for their communities, according to an Oct. 5 letter Rep. Miller-Meeks and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.
The lawmakers seek assurance from CMS that the Blessing Health Keokuk clinic in Keokuk, Iowa, which recently closed its doors, is eligible for a future REH designation, and requested that CMS clarify whether a rural hospital is eligible to become an REH if it met the eligibility requirements on Dec. 27, 2020, but has since closed or has begun the process to close prior to REH’s effective date of Jan. 1, 2023, according to their letter.
To be eligible to become an REH, a facility must have been a critical access hospital (CAH) or rural hospital with less than 50 beds as of the Dec. 27, 2020, date of enactment. The REH allows rural hospitals that can no longer support inpatient services the flexibility to continue offering vital services that meet the needs of their community, the lawmakers wrote.
“There is a strong desire from Keokuk’s community leaders for their hospital to be eligible in the future to become a REH,” they wrote. “While the community has not made a final decision on establishing a REH, we would like to know about any federal regulatory barriers for the hospital and community.”
Access to emergency and primary health care services are basic quality-of-life issues for communities of any size, according to the lawmakers.
“We encourage CMS to ensure communities, including Keokuk, have the opportunity to establish a REH to maintain essential medical services and contribute to economic growth,” they wrote.