This bill makes it easier for critical access hospitals—small rural hospitals that serve communities with limited healthcare options—to admit and treat patients. Right now, these hospitals have a strict rule: a doctor must certify in writing within 96 hours (4 days) that a patient needs to stay in the hospital as an inpatient, or the hospital can face penalties and lose Medicare payment for that patient's care. This bill removes that 96-hour deadline requirement, giving doctors more flexibility in how they document and certify patient admissions.

Why does this matter? Critical access hospitals often struggle with staffing and resources, and the 96-hour requirement can create administrative headaches that distract from patient care. A doctor might be busy treating patients and miss the deadline through no fault of their own, putting the hospital at financial risk. By eliminating this time constraint, the bill aims to reduce unnecessary bureaucratic burden on these already-stretched facilities while maintaining the basic requirement that doctors still need to certify that patients genuinely need inpatient hospital care. The change takes effect on January 1, 2024, and primarily affects rural communities that depend on these smaller hospitals for their healthcare.

Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2023

Smith, Adrian

Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2023 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.