Rural health care facility assistance

(a) In general Section 342 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1990a) is amended— (1) by striking a rural hospital and inserting an eligible health care facility; (2) by striking rural community and inserting rural area; (3) by striking hospital, and inserting eligible health care facility,; (4) by striking Assistance and inserting the following: (a) Refinancing of certain rural health care facility debt (1) In general Assistance; and (5) by adding at the end the following: (2) Requirements To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of an eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall— (A) provide assistance described in paragraph (1) to an eligible health care facility for the purpose of— (i) ensuring the facility has necessary resources to maintain public health, safety, or order; (ii) addressing financial hardships of the facility, the patients of the facility, and the area served by the facility; and (iii) identifying the financial stability of the facility, including— (I) operational practices; (II) revenue enhancements; (III) policy revisions; (IV) partnerships, regionalization, or consolidation of rural health systems; and (V) contract services; and (B) require an applicant for assistance described in paragraph (1)— (i) to receive financial planning assistance; and (ii) to prepare a long-term financial plan. (3) Waiver In the case of an application for refinancing pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary may waive the requirement of section 302(a)(1)(D) if the eligible health care facility is insolvent. (b) Rural health care facility technical assistance program (1) In general In lieu of any other authority under which the Secretary may provide technical assistance to any eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program (referred to in this subsection as the Program) to provide technical assistance and training, tailored to the capacity and needs of each eligible health care facility, to help eligible health care facilities— (A) identify development needs for maintaining essential health care services and support action plans for operational and quality improvement projects to meet the development needs; (B) better manage the financial and business strategies of the eligible heath care facilities, including providing financial planning assistance and preparing long-term financial plans; and (C) identify, and apply for assistance from, loan and grant programs of the Department of Agriculture for which the eligible health care facilities are eligible. (2) Goals The goals of the Program shall be— (A) to improve the long-term financial position and operational efficiency of eligible health care facilities; (B) to prevent the closure of eligible health care facilities; (C) to strengthen the delivery of health care in rural areas; (D) to help eligible health care facilities better access and compete for loans and grants from programs administered by the Department of Agriculture; and (E) to continue the activities of the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this subsection). (3) Program participation (A) In general The Secretary shall engage in outreach and engagement strategies to encourage eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program. (B) Eligible health care facility selection In selecting eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program, the Secretary— (i) shall give priority to borrowers of loans and recipients of grants from the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Utilities Service; and (ii) may consider— (I) the age and physical state of the eligible health care facility involved; (II) the financial vulnerability of the eligible health care facility and the ability of the eligible health care facility to meet debt obligations; (III) the electronic health record implementation needs of the eligible health care facility; (IV) whether the eligible health care facility is located in a health professional shortage area or a medically underserved area; (V) whether the eligible health care facility serves a medically underserved population; and (VI) such other criteria and priorities as are determined by the Secretary. (4) Reporting requirements Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a written report describing the progress and results of the Program, including— (A) a brief description of each project to provide technical assistance to an eligible health care facility under this subsection, including— (i) the name and location of the facility; (ii) a description of the assistance provided; (iii) a description of the outcomes for completed projects; (iv) the cost of the technical assistance; and (v) any other information the Secretary determines to be appropriate; (B) a summary of the technical assistance projects completed; (C) a summary of the outcomes of the technical assistance projects; (D) an assessment of the effectiveness of the Program; and (E) recommendations for improving the Program. (5) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection not more than $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031. (c) Definitions In this section: (1) Rural area The term rural area has the meaning given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A). (2) Development needs The term development needs means— (A) constructing, expanding, renovating, or otherwise modernizing health care facilities; (B) increasing telehealth capabilities; (C) acquiring or upgrading health care information systems, such as electronic health records; (D) providing financial planning assistance and preparing a long-term financial plan; and (E) such other needs as the Secretary determines to be critical to maintaining health care services in the community in which an eligible health care facility is located. (3) Eligible health care facility The term eligible health care facility means a facility that is located in a rural area and is— (A) a hospital (as defined in section 1861(e) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(e))); (B) a psychiatric hospital (as defined in section 1861(f) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(f))); (C) a home health agency (as defined in section 1861(o) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(o))); (D) a rural health clinic (as defined in section 1861(aa)(2) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(2))); (E) a critical access hospital (as defined in section 1861(mm)(1) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(mm)(1))); (F) a religious nonmedical health care institution (as defined in section 1861(ss)(1) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(ss)(1))); (G) a long-term care hospital (as defined in section 1861(ccc) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(ccc))); (H) a rural emergency hospital (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)(2))); (I) a sole community hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(5)(D)(iii) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(5)(D)(iii))); and (J) a community health center receiving funding under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b). (4) Health professional shortage area The term health professional shortage area has the meaning given the term in section 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)(A)). (5) Medically underserved area The term medically underserved area has the meaning given the term in section 330I(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–14(a)). (6) Medically underserved population The term medically underserved population has the meaning given the term in section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)).. (b) Regulations The Secretary shall issue regulations to carry out the amendments made by subsection (a). (c) Effective date Except for purposes of issuing regulations under subsection (b), the amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the effective date of those regulations.