Rural Emergency Hospital Resources

Beginning January 1, 2023, rural hospitals that qualify can seek the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The program aims to ensure access to critical outpatient hospital services in communities that may not have a Critical Access Hospital or small rural hospital. REH-designated facilities will get enhanced Medicare payments for certain outpatient services. This webpage has links to resources that explain the program.

This Q&A fact sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation.

The Rural Health Redesign Center provides technical assistance to rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals interested in examining the feasibility of converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH).

This blog post from the Bipartisan Policy Center discusses rural hospital closures and describes the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) model.

This podcast provides an overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital designation and explains the role of the Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center and the types of support it provides.

This fact sheet from the Medicare Learning Network provides an overview of Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH), designed to deliver emergency hospital, observation and other services to Medicare patients on an outpatient basis.

This interactive map displays the location of hospitals across the U.S. that have converted to Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) since January 2023. The site also provides sortable and downloadable lists containing information about each hospital, including previous Medicare payment status.

Medicare patients can get emergency care and other services at rural emergency hospitals (REH) on an outpatient basis. This article lists the criteria a facility must meet to be considered an REH, along with information about how to bill for such services.