H-4514.1 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 3016
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State of Washington 56th Legislature 2000 Regular Session
By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representatives Parlette and Cody)
Read first time 02/04/2000. Referred to Committee on .
AN ACT Relating to providing state medical assistance reimbursements for small rural hospitals that meet the criteria of a critical access hospital; adding new sections to chapter 74.09 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that promoting a financially viable health care system in all parts of the state is a paramount interest. The health care financing administration has recognized the crucial role that hospitals play in providing care in rural areas by creating the critical access hospital program to allow small, rural hospitals that qualify to receive reasonable cost-based reimbursement for medicare services. The legislature further finds that creating a similar reimbursement system for the state's medical assistance programs in small, rural hospitals that qualify will help ensure the long-term financial viability of the rural health system in those communities. In creating this program the legislature intends to fund it through new state funds and not pull funds from existing programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW to read as follows:
Payments for recipients eligible for medical assistance programs under chapter 74.09 RCW for services provided by hospitals, regardless of the beneficiary's managed care enrollment status, shall be a cost-based reimbursement, as defined by the hospital's cost to charge ratio, when services are provided by a rural hospital that either: (1) Has been certified by the health care financing administration as a critical access hospital; or (2) meets the geographic criteria for a critical access hospital and has no more than twenty-five available beds, with not more than fifteen acute care beds and ten swing beds. Any additional payments made by the medical assistance administration for the healthy options program shall be no more than the additional amounts per service paid under this section for other medical assistance programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW to read as follows:
The department of social and health services shall implement the program created in section 2 of this act within sixty days of the effective date of section 2 of this act regardless of the beneficiary's managed care status.
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