Bill > HB0173

This bill amends Tennessee's healthcare reimbursement laws to establish specific payment guidelines for rural hospitals under the TennCare program (Tennessee's Medicaid program). The bill defines a "rural hospital" as a hospital with 49 or fewer licensed beds located in a non-urbanized area, and sets minimum and maximum reimbursement rates for routine, nonspecialized inpatient services at 100% to 120% of the hospital's current federal fiscal year Medicare reimbursement. Additionally, the bill requires the state bureau to publish and annually update a list of Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) on its website and provide this list directly to participating rural hospitals. The TennCare director is authorized to seek federal waivers to implement these reimbursement changes without expanding Medicaid. The primary goal appears to be supporting rural hospitals by ensuring more predictable and potentially higher reimbursement rates for their services to TennCare enrollees.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry, Health and Social Services

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0173&ga=114