News & Updates

The Health Facilities Program is committed to ensuring excellent communication with acute and continuing care providers and suppliers in Kansas. This page contains information about current events, trends, resources, best practices and updates affecting our day to day health care work.

  1. Latest Updates
  2. Recent News

Proposed Temporary and Permanent Regulations for Rural Emergency Hospitals

Background and Purpose: The United States Congress, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, established a Rural Emergency Hospital designation. Commencing in January 2023, qualifying hospitals could apply for Rural Emergency Hospital designation and receive Medicare payment for providing emergency services.

The Rural Emergency Hospital designation is designed to maintain access to critical outpatient hospital services in communities that may not be able to support or sustain a Critical Access Hospital or small rural hospital. REHs are required to provide 24-hour emergency and observation services and can elect to furnish other outpatient services. Facilities designated as an REH will receive enhanced Medicare payments for certain outpatient services and additional monthly payments.

In response to the passage of the Consolidated Appropriates Act of 2021, the Kansas legislature passed HB 2208 which codified the Rural Emergency Hospital Act (K.S.A. 65-481 et seq). In establishing the Rural Emergency Hospital Act, the Kansas legislature recognized the importance and necessity of providing and regulating the system by which healthcare services are structured and integrated to promote the availability of and access to necessary and appropriate healthcare to protect the general health, safety, and welfare of the rural residents of Kansas. To meet its stated goals, the Kansas legislature created a category of licensure to enable certain Kansas hospitals to receive federal healthcare reimbursement as rural emergency hospitals.