From October 17, 2022 post.
Today, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) held a Q&A at the Rohlf Memorial Clinic and Waverly Health Center to learn more about the issues facing rural health care providers. They also discussed the Rural Health Clinic Protection Act – a bipartisan bill led by Grassley that was signed into law last year – which has helped several rural health clinics keep their doors open and continue providing health care services to rural Iowans.
“As a lifelong resident of rural Iowa, I understand the importance of accessing health care services close to home. I’ve made it a top priority to ensure all Iowans, regardless of zip code, have access to high-quality and affordable care – including through the Rural Health Clinic Protection Act, working to support Medicare rural hospital programs and creating the Rural Emergency Hospital program. I appreciated having the chance to visit the Rohlf Memorial Clinic and Waverly Health Center today to discuss ways we can continue working together to ensure rural health care providers succeed,” Grassley said.
“The Rural Health Clinic Protection Act enables our clinic to continue to provide high-quality health care to Waverly and the surrounding rural communities. We appreciate Senator Grassley’s leadership in this effort,” said Sherri Greenlee, Senior Clinic Administrator of UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine – Rohlf Memorial Clinic.
When several rural health clinics faced a reduction in reimbursement last year – including in Denver, Grinnell, Hawarden, North English, Ottumwa, Perry and Waverly – Grassley introduced the Rural Health Clinic Protection Act to ensure Iowans in these communities continued to have access to health care. This year, Grassley introduced the Rural Hospital Support Act to provide rural hospitals with financial stability and security.
In 2020, Grassley was instrumental in getting the rural emergency hospital (REH) designation signed into law. REH offers a financial lifeline for providers by allowing certain rural hospitals to customize their health care infrastructure and provide services that better align with the specific needs of their patient populations. The policy creates a new, voluntary Medicare payment designation that allows either a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) or a small, rural hospital with less than 50 beds to convert to an REH. The goal is to preserve patient access to emergency medical care in rural areas that can no longer support a fully operational inpatient hospital.
As Finance Committee chairman during the 116th Congress, Grassley successfully worked to support rural health care providers, including supporting rural hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and making mental telehealth visits a permanent benefit under Medicare.
Original source can be found here
