A FAH-supported bill that would help hospitals continue to provide affordable care to patients, including in rural communities, was recently introduced in the House of Representatives.

The legislation, the Protecting Local Access to Care for Everyone (PLACE) Act (H.R. 2552), aims to prevent site-neutral payment reductions for hospital outpatient clinic visit services furnished in off-campus provider-based departments.

The bill has bipartisan support and was introduced by Reps. Derek Kilmer (D -WA) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Both Reps. Kilmer and Stefanik thanked FAH and the American Hospital Association for supporting the legislation.

In his release, Rep. Kilmer urged that “Hospitals should be encouraged to bring their services closer to the people they care for, not be penalized for it.” Kilmer also noted that the PLACE Act would be particularly beneficial for rural areas already facing a shortage of qualified care providers. Similarly, Rep. Stefanik’s statement emphasized how the legislation “would prevent the CMS policy from being enacted so that rural community hospitals can continue to provide high quality, accessible health care to their patients.”

This legislation is important to our hospitals and the communities they serve.  We urge Congress to act on this legislation soon. 

Click here to learn more.