Critical Access & Rural Emergency Hospitals: Rules & Opportunity

Critical Access Hospital and Rural Emergency Hospitals: Proposed Rules and Opportunity for Input

Overview


Beginning in 2023, Medicare will recognize a new provider type: the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). The establishment of REHs is intended to preserve access to emergency departments and other outpatient services in rural areas that are unable to offer inpatient services and would otherwise be unable to receive payment from Medicare for outpatient hospital services.

This webinar will cover the statutory requirements and proposed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules for REH Medicare participation and payment, including the services that can—and must be—provided by REHs, add-on payments and proposed Stark Law flexibilities for physician ownership and investment. We will also address the opportunities that REHs may provide, as well as some criticisms of the current model and the potential for improvement.

Additionally, we will discuss proposed changes to the Critical Access Hospital’s (CAH) definition of a “primary road” and a proposal for CMS to engage in periodic review of CAH compliance with rules related to the distance between CAHs and other hospitals.

Webinar Recording



Video – Critical Access Hospital and Rural Emergency Hospitals: Proposed Rules and Opportunity for Input webinar, part of McDermott's 2022 programming (runtime: 46m)

Download the deck here.

Dig Deeper

New York, NY / McDermott Event / October 16, 2025

HPE NYC 2025

San Diego, California / McDermott Event / July 1, 2025

AHLA Annual Meeting Reception 2025

Nashville, TN / McDermott Event / May 6-9, 2025

McDermott HealthEx

Webinar / McDermott Webinar / March 13 – April 24, 2025

Countdown to McDermott HealthEx: Webinar Preview Series

Paris, France / McDermott Event / April 2, 2025

European Health & Life Sciences Symposium 2025

Get In Touch