September 18, 2024- CMS has updated guidance for hospitals interested in converting to a rural emergency hospital, a Medicare designation that was made available Jan. 1, 2023, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. The conversion of an eligible facility to an rural emergency hospital (REH) allows for the provision of emergency department services, observation care, and additional outpatient medical and health services, if elected by the REH, that do not exceed an annual per patient average length of stay of 24 hours.
REH services include all covered outpatient department services required or elected to be provided by the REH, including relevant radiology, laboratory, outpatient rehabilitation, surgical, maternal health, and behavioral health, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Copayments for REH services are based on the standard Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System rate (excluding the 5% increase).