| March 16, 2010: Smith Lauds HHS Decision Restoring Freedom to Rural Hospitals |
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WASHINGTON DC — Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) today lauded an announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) freeing Critical Access Hospitals, small, rural facilities which serve rural areas, from onerous Medicare restrictions. Last week Smith, with support from the Nebraska delegation, sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calling for the requirements to be rescinded.
Regulations included in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule mandated a physician with hospital privileges be present and immediately available at all times for numerous outpatient services, including observation.
Since this rule took effect in January, the policy has prevented many small, rural hospitals from providing outpatient services to seniors most in need of ready access to care. Today’s announcement by the HHS lifts the supervision requirements for these Critical Access Hospitals. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: " New="New" Roman","="Roman","">“With the severe shortage of rural physicians and the importance of local access to care in rural areas, I want to make sure federal mandates aren’t making it more difficult for Critical Access Hospitals in Nebraska. I’m grateful to Secretary Sebelius for taking these concerns to heart with today’s announcement – it maintains access to quality care without increasing costs or forcing rural hospitals to discontinue outpatient services,” Smith said. |
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