Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) joined Rep. Adrian Smith (NE-03) to introduce the Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2022. This bipartisan bill would provide urgently needed support to Critical Access Hospitals—which provide essential services to residents in rural communities—by doing away with a burdensome and outdated payment rule that jeopardizes reimbursement. 

“Our rural hospitals have been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, providing lifesaving care to our most vulnerable and underserved communities,” said Rep. Sewell. “Tragically, many of these same hospitals have been struggling to keep their doors open, putting at risk the well-being of rural communities in Alabama’s 7th District and across this nation. With our bipartisan Critical Access Hospital Relief Act, we’re providing urgently needed relief so that hospitals can keep their doors open and focus on caring for their patients instead of complying with burdensome and outdated payment rules.”

“Health care providers have worked tirelessly over the last two years to treat patients during an unprecedented global pandemic,” said Rep. Smith, lead Republican sponsor. “The last thing hospitals need, especially facilities in rural areas that are already stretched thin, are burdensome regulations that take time away from patient care. My bipartisan bill would ensure Critical Access Hospital providers can take care of their patients without being forced to navigate a complicated and unnecessary maze of red tape.”

Critical Access Hospitals are small, remote facilities that provide 24-hour essential medical services to patients in rural communities, often serving primarily elderly and underserved populations. Critical Access Hospitals already face many unique challenges such as recruiting physicians, satisfying complicated administrative requirements with a smaller staff, and complying with numerous federal regulations not applied to larger hospitals. 

Under current law, Critical Access Hospitals are required to certify at the time of admission that a patient on Medicare will not be admitted longer than 96 hours. Failure to certify could result in denial of reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), forcing patients to travel even further for care. This requirement adds one more unnecessary burden on rural facilities, providers, and the Medicare beneficiaries who already must travel long distances for treatment and may deter many patients from seeking necessary care. While this “96-hour rule” has been temporarily waived by CMS due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be reinstated at any point in the future, creating uncertainty for Critical Access Hospitals and the patients they serve.

The Critical Access Hospital Relief Act repeals the 96-hour rule, alleviating a significant burden and allowing these hospitals to focus on caring for the patients they serve.

“Critical Access Hospitals play an essential, life-saving role in ensuring access to health care in rural communities,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, Senior Vice President of the American Hospital Association. “We applaud Representatives Smith and Sewell for their leadership in working to remove an outdated and unnecessary payment rule that makes it harder to provide needed services for patients at these facilities.”