Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is cosponsoring the bipartisan Rural Development Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act to help prevent rural hospital closures and ensure access to health care for rural communities.
Who first introduced this bill, and what does it do? The bill was first introduced by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Peter Welch (D-VT).
The bill would make permanent the existing program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that assists hospitals in improving efficiency and financial performance, bolstering quality of care, and supporting the community.
What exactly is this USDA program? This program takes the form of an agreement with the National Rural Health Association that provides several types of technical assistance.
This includes providing expert guidance on optimizing billing processes, addressing reimbursement delays, improving collections, and maximizing available reimbursement opportunities for qualifying hospitals.
What key figures had to say:
- Sen. Jon Ossoff: “Rural Georgians deserve great health care. This bipartisan bill will provide resources to struggling rural hospitals to ensure communities have access to the efficient and quality care they deserve.”
- Sen. Mike Rounds: “Rural hospitals are a lifeline for the communities they serve, and far too many are struggling to keep their doors open. Providing technical assistance to rural hospitals at risk for closure gives providers and administrators a fresh set of eyes on their operations and allows for new ideas to help stabilize their operations.”
- Sen. Peter Welch: “The health and wellbeing of Vermont’s hospitals impact the health and wellbeing of every Vermonter—but our rural hospitals need help to keep their doors open for our patients. I’m proud to partner with Senator Rounds on this bipartisan bill, which will strengthen hospitals across the United States and help rural hospitals improve their care and services.”
Further Context: Any hospital is eligible under this program, with preference given to those in persistent poverty communities of less than 20,000.
Participating hospitals are provided with a contractor specializing in rural health care delivery, who then reports back on goals and next steps to get the hospitals to financial and operational stability.
