Rural Hospital Administrative Relief Act

Section 1–Title: This Act shall be known as the Rural Hospital Administrative Relief Act.

Section 2–Review of Federal Administrative Requirements: Not later than nine months after enactment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct a review of Federal administrative and reporting requirements applicable to rural hospitals participating in Medicare, Medicaid, or other Federal healthcare programs.

The review shall identify duplicative reporting requirements, unnecessary paperwork, conflicting submission deadlines, outdated documentation procedures, and administrative obligations that impose disproportionate costs on smaller rural facilities.

The Secretary shall consult with rural hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, State hospital associations, and other appropriate stakeholders.

Section 3–Simplification of Reporting Requirements: The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish simplified administrative procedures for eligible rural hospitals, including consolidation of substantially duplicative Federal reporting requirements; standardized forms and electronic submission procedures; coordination of reporting deadlines across applicable Federal healthcare programs; elimination of documentation requirements determined to be unnecessary or duplicative; and streamlined procedures for correcting minor administrative errors without requiring complete resubmission of previously submitted information.

No hospital shall be required to submit substantially identical information to multiple offices within the Department of Health and Human Services when such information can lawfully be shared between those offices.

Section 4–Eligibility: For purposes of this Act, an eligible rural hospital means a hospital located in a rural area as designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that participates in Medicare or Medicaid and qualifies as a Critical Access Hospital, Rural Emergency Hospital, or other rural hospital with 100 or fewer licensed inpatient beds.

The Secretary may establish additional eligibility criteria to ensure that administrative relief is directed toward hospitals with limited financial or administrative resources.

Section 5–Protection of Patient Safety and Program Integrity: Nothing in this Act shall authorize the elimination or weakening of Federal requirements necessary to protect patient safety, maintain appropriate standards of medical care, prevent fraud or abuse, or ensure the lawful expenditure of Federal funds.

The Secretary shall ensure that simplified reporting procedures preserve necessary oversight of healthcare quality, patient outcomes, financial accountability, and compliance with applicable Federal law.

Nothing in this Act shall exempt a hospital from mandatory reporting of serious patient-safety incidents, suspected fraud, or other information required to protect patients or Federal healthcare programs.

Section 6–Administrative Compliance Assistance: The Secretary shall establish a centralized assistance service within the Department of Health and Human Services to help eligible rural hospitals understand and comply with applicable Federal administrative requirements.

The service shall provide guidance concerning reporting deadlines, documentation requirements, available administrative relief, and procedures for correcting submission errors.

The Secretary shall prioritize the use of existing Department personnel and resources and shall not require eligible hospitals to pay a fee for assistance.

Section 7–Implementation and Congressional Reporting: Not later than 18 months after enactment, the Secretary shall implement the simplified procedures required under Section 3 to the extent permitted by existing Federal law.

Not later than two years after enactment, and annually for the following four years, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress identifying administrative requirements eliminated, consolidated, or simplified; estimated reductions in paperwork hours and compliance costs for eligible rural hospitals; the number of hospitals benefiting from the changes; any identified effects on patient safety, healthcare quality, or program integrity; and additional statutory changes recommended to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens.

Section 8–Limitation on New Administrative Requirements: Before imposing a new administrative or reporting requirement on eligible rural hospitals, the Secretary shall evaluate whether the information is already collected through an existing Federal program and whether the requirement can be satisfied through an existing submission process.

The Secretary shall publish a brief explanation of any new requirement that is expected to materially increase administrative costs for eligible rural hospitals.

Section 9–Effective Date: This Act shall take effect upon enactment.