Rural Emergency Hospital rules signed by governor; statute advances

Posted on: 2/24/23

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the emergency rules related to Rural Emergency Hospitals submitted by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). The rules will eventually be published in the Oklahoma Register. The OSDH rulemaking puts in place the framework for a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) to be established in Oklahoma. The rules were drafted in alignment with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rulemaking. There are no deviations from those rules.

There is at least one hospital in Oklahoma that has begun the application process with CMS to convert to REH status. Go to the OHA website for more information and resources on REHs.

Meanwhile, the OHA sponsored legislation establishing REHs as a category of hospital licensure in statute has passed out of committee at the state Capitol. SB 293 by Sen. Chuck Hall and Rep. Ty Burns will be heard on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

With Gov. Stitt’s signature of the emergency rules and the pending legislation, Oklahoma will be ready for operation of REHs in 2023. (Sandra Harrison)