Untitled section

The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall not apply the distance requirements under 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)) to any facility with a critical access hospital provider agreement that was designated and certified as a critical access hospital as of January 1, 2024, and receives a notification letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the period beginning on December 1, 2024, and ending on January 1, 2026, that the facility was found to be noncompliant with such distance requirements under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)). In the case where a provider agreement for such facility was terminated on or after December 1, 2024 but prior to the date of enactment of this Act exclusively because such facility was unable to meet the distance requirement under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)), the Administrator shall provide for the recertification of such facility as a critical access hospital and reinstatement of such provider agreement. This provision shall not be construed to prohibit the application of any other enforcement measures deemed necessary by the Administrator, including termination of the provider agreement, in response to such facility’s violation of any Federal regulation other than the distance requirement.

The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall not apply the distance requirements under 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)) to any facility with a critical access hospital provider agreement that was designated and certified as a critical access hospital as of January 1, 2024, and receives a notification letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the period beginning on December 1, 2024, and ending on January 1, 2026, that the facility was found to be noncompliant with such distance requirements under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)). In the case where a provider agreement for such facility was terminated on or after December 1, 2024 but prior to the date of enactment of this Act exclusively because such facility was unable to meet the distance requirement under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)), the Administrator shall provide for the recertification of such facility as a critical access hospital and reinstatement of such provider agreement. This provision shall not be construed to prohibit the application of any other enforcement measures deemed necessary by the Administrator, including termination of the provider agreement, in response to such facility’s violation of any Federal regulation other than the distance requirement.