Bill > S198

This bill aims to modernize provisions relating to rural health clinics (RHCs) under Medicare. It makes several key changes: 1. It removes the requirement for RHCs to have a physician on-site, allowing them to use physician assistants and nurse practitioners instead. RHCs must still have an arrangement with these providers consistent with state and local laws. 2. It removes the requirement for RHCs to provide certain clinical laboratory services, instead only requiring prompt access to such services. 3. It allows RHCs to contract with, rather than just employ, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. 4. It revises the definition of "urbanized area" for RHC eligibility, changing it from an area with less than 50,000 people to an area not in an urban area of 50,000 or more. 5. It creates an exception to the RHC behavioral health service limitation for facilities located in areas designated as mental health professional shortage areas. These changes aim to reduce administrative burdens and provide more flexibility for RHCs to operate and deliver healthcare services in rural communities.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/198/all-info