Report to Congress: Rural Secondary Specialty Demonstration Project

摘要

Section 9302(d)(4) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (OBRA) required the Secretary to enter into a 3-year 'Rural Secondary Specialty Demonstration Project' with Lake Region Hospital and Nursing Home at Fergus Falls, Minnesota. During the project, payment under Part A was to be made on the basis of average standardized amounts computed for urban areas in the region as adjusted for the rural wage index. The Secretary was required to submit a final report to the congress on the project not later than 6 months after the completion of the project. The report describes the effect that a modified system of making payments under Part A to rural secondary specialty center would have on: (1) total expenditures under such part and; (2) the access of Medicare beneficiaries located in rural areas to quality heath care.