Rural Hospital Regulatory Relief Act of 2019

Bill: 116-s-895
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2019-03-27
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Congressional oversight

Department of Health and Human Services

Health care coverage and access

Health care quality

Health personnel

Home and outpatient care

Hospital care

Medicare

Rural conditions and development
Latest action: action_date: 2019-03-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S2048)

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-03-27
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Rural Hospital Regulatory Relief Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill permanently extends the rule to not enforce the Medicare direct-supervision requirements for outpatient, therapeutic services at critical access hospitals and small, rural hospitals. Such rule permits therapeutic services to be administered at such hospitals outside a physician or nonphysician practitioner's presence.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 895 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 27, 2019 Mr. Thune (for himself and Ms. Stabenow ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To provide for a permanent extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Hospital Regulatory Relief Act of 2019 . 2. Permanent extension of enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals Section 1834 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395m ) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (x) Permanent extension of enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals On and after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall continue to apply the enforcement instruction described in the notice of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services entitled Enforcement Instruction on Supervision Requirements for Outpatient Therapeutic Services in Critical Access and Small Rural Hospitals for CY 2013 , dated November 1, 2012 (providing for an exception to the restatement and clarification under the final rulemaking changes to the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system and calendar year 2009 payment rates (published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2008, 73 Fed. Reg. 68702 through 68704) with respect to requirements for direct supervision by physicians for therapeutic hospital outpatient services), and extended by section 1 of Public Law 113–198 , section 1 of Public Law 114–112 , section 16004(a) of the 21st Century Cures Act ( Public Law 114–255 ), and section 51007 of the Bipartisan Budget Act ( Public Law 115–123 ), and reinstated for calendar years 2018 and 2019 under the final rule entitled Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs published on December 14, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 59216). .