[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4429. Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Lankford) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. 
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. ASSISTANCE IN THE TRANSITION OF A CERTAIN HOSPITAL 
                   TO A MEDICARE RURAL EMERGENCY HOSPITAL.

       (a) Special Rule.--In the case of a critical access 
     hospital (as defined in section 1861(mm) of the Social 
     Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(mm)) with a Centers for 
     Medicare & Medicaid Services certification number of 371338, 
     the following shall apply:
       (1) Pursuant to the June 11, 2021, Centers for Medicare & 
     Medicaid Services letter sent to the critical access 
     hospital--
       (A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to 
     in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall suspend the 
     running of the twenty-four month extension mentioned in the 
     October 15, 2019, letter to the hospital during the COVID-19 
     public health emergency; and
       (B) the hospital shall have 19.7 months after the end of 
     the COVID-19 public health emergency to notify the Centers 
     for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the hospital's intent to 
     either convert to an acute care hospital, transition to a 
     rural emergency hospital under section 1861(kkk) of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)) (if the hospital 
     qualifies as such), or terminate as a critical access 
     hospital.
       (2) Prior to the end of the 19.7 months described in 
     paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall not take an adverse 
     redesignation action with respect to the critical access 
     hospital status of the hospital as long as the hospital 
     continues to meet all of the requirements for designation as 
     a critical access hospital other than the distance 
     requirement under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(i) of such Act (42 
     U.S.C. 1395i-4(c)(2)(B)(i)).
       (3) If, prior to the end of the 19.7 months described in 
     paragraph (1)(B), the critical access hospital notifies the 
     Secretary of the hospital's intention to transition to a 
     rural emergency hospital, the Secretary--
       (A) shall give priority to the processing of the request 
     for such transition; and
       (B) shall not take an adverse redesignation action with 
     respect to the critical access hospital status of the 
     hospital prior to the later of--
       (i) the end of the 19.7 months described in paragraph 
     (1)(B); or
       (ii) the date the Secretary makes a final determination 
     with respect to such request.
       (b) Timeline for Regulations.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
       (A) not later than July 1, 2022, promulgate a proposed rule 
     to carry out the provisions of, and amendments made by, 
     section 125 of division CC of the Consolidated Appropriations 
     Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260); and
       (B) not later than November 1, 2022, promulgate a final 
     rule to carry out such provisions and amendments.
       (2) Additional information.--The Secretary shall ensure 
     that the proposed and final rules required under paragraph 
     (1) contain a description of the additional information that 
     will be required under section 1861(kkk)(4) of the Social 
     Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)(4)).
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