Bill > SB5923

This bill modifies existing law regarding payments for medical assistance programs to hospitals, specifically focusing on critical access hospitals. A critical access hospital is a designation given by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rural hospitals to ensure access to healthcare services in those areas. The bill amends a section of Washington state law (RCW 74.09.5225) to allow a critical access hospital located on an island and operating within a public hospital district in Skagit County to be eligible for payments based on allowable costs, even if it's participating in a pilot program designed to develop alternative service and payment systems for rural communities. This pilot program, called the Washington rural health access preservation pilot, aims to sustain essential services in rural areas through value-based payment methodologies rather than just volume of services. The bill also clarifies that hospitals participating in this pilot can renew their participation in critical access hospital payment methodologies if they choose to leave the pilot.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5923&Year=2025&Initiative=false