Rural Arizona hospitals could be eligible for higher patient care reimbursements

Some rural hospitals could be eligible for higher reimbursements for patient care.

Applications are open to add 10 more to a federal program that reimburses them for the cost of caring for a patient directly instead of based on Medicare rates, which are typically lower.

Hospitals in 20 states are eligible to apply, and Arizona is one of them.

Set to run through June 2028, the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program is only set up to support 30 hospitals at a time.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting applications for more rural facilities to join the decades-old program. It reimburses the actual costs of caring for a patient versus standard Medicare rates, which are often lower.

Qualifying applicants have to be in a rural area, have fewer than 51 beds, provide 24-hour emergency services, and can’t already receive financial support for their rural status in another way.

Applications close in March.