During a recent visit to St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation to provide better health care at small, rural hospitals. The Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act (H.R. 3444) would change federal regulations for rural hospitals to give them greater flexibility in meeting the needs of patients, according to Walden.
“Critical Access Hospitals” (CAHs) provide essential health care services to rural communities, including 12 in Oregon’s Second District. Federal regulations limit the number of patients per day in CAHs to 25. It’s rare, but when a CAH reaches this cap, it must turn away patients, transfer them to another location, remove patients from beds, or do other things that divert attention from patient care, Walden said.
The legislation — introduced with Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) — would allow CAHs to choose to either meet the current 25 patient per day limit or a limit of 20 patients per day averaged throughout the year. Walden said this flexibility would permit CAHs to better address situations like unforeseen accidents, public health emergencies, seasonal fluctuations, flu season, or anything else that might arise and hinder a hospital’s ability to provide patient care.
In February, Walden visited Providence Hood River Memorial to meet with CEO Ed Freysinger and receive input on the legislation. This week, Freysinger endorsed the legislation.
“Critical access hospitals such as ours serve communities with large numbers of Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients,” Freysinger said. “We also face such seasonal situations as severe winter weather and increased population from the spring to early fall. We know that the flexibility proposed in Rep. Walden’s bill would allow smaller, remote hospitals to continue providing vital acute care services in rural areas across the country.”
