United States Code
USC most recently checked for updates: Sep 12, 2024
The Secretary may not enter into an agreement under this section with any hospital unless, except as provided under subsection (g), the hospital is located in a rural area and has less than 100 beds.
An agreement with a hospital under this section shall, except as otherwise provided under regulations of the Secretary, be of the same duration and subject to termination on the same conditions as are agreements with skilled nursing facilities under section 1395cc of this title and shall, where not inconsistent with any provision of this section, impose the same duties, responsibilities, conditions, and limitations, as those imposed under such agreements entered into under section 1395cc of this title; except that no such agreement with any hospital shall be in effect for any period during which the hospital does not have in effect an agreement under section 1395cc of this title. A hospital with respect to which an agreement under this section has been terminated shall not be eligible to enter into a new agreement until a two-year period has elapsed from the termination date.
Any agreement with a hospital under this section shall provide that payment for services will be made only for services for which payment would be made as post-hospital extended care services if those services had been furnished by a skilled nursing facility under an agreement entered into under section 1395cc of this title; and any individual who is furnished services, for which payment may be made under an agreement under this section, shall, for purposes of this subchapter (other than this section), be deemed to have received post-hospital extended care services in like manner and to the same extent as if the services furnished to him had been post-hospital extended care services furnished by a skilled nursing facility under an agreement under section 1395cc of this title.
During a period for which a hospital has in effect an agreement under this section, in order to allocate routine costs between hospital and long-term care services for purposes of determining payment for inpatient hospital services, the total reimbursement due for routine services from all classes of long-term care patients (including this subchapter, subchapter XIX, and private pay patients) shall be subtracted from the hospital’s total routine costs before calculations are made to determine this subchapter reimbursement for routine hospital services.
A hospital which enters into an agreement with the Secretary under this section shall be required to meet those conditions applicable to skilled nursing facilities relating to discharge planning and the social services function (and staffing requirements to satisfy it) which are promulgated by the Secretary under section 1395i–3 of this title. Services furnished by such a hospital which would otherwise constitute post-hospital extended care services if furnished by a skilled nursing facility shall be subject to the same requirements applicable to such services when furnished by a skilled nursing facility except for those requirements the Secretary determines are inappropriate in the case of these services being furnished by a hospital under this section.
The Secretary may enter into an agreement under this section on a demonstration basis with any hospital which does not meet the requirement of subsection (b)(1), if the hospital otherwise meets the requirements of this section.