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Minutes for HB2249 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Requiring the secretary for aging and disability services to grant physical environment waivers for certain rural emergency hospitals to provide skilled nursing facility care.
Minutes Content for Thu, Feb 13, 2025
Carly Choi, Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of HB2249 (Attachment 18).
Ms. Choi responded to questions from the committee.
Tara Mays, Vice President, State Legislative Affairs, Kansas Hospital Association, provided testimony in support of HB2249 (Attachment 19). Kansas was the first state in 2021 to designate the Rural Emergency Hospital model. Since then, three hospitals have converted to that model. Skilled nursing beds provide an important service in communities. The beds are to provide medical care and rehabilitation for patients who need assistance with daily activities on a short term basis. Previously these beds were registered under KDHE. Now a rural emergency hospital will register these beds with KDADS. There is a need for KDADS to grant a physical environment waiver to ensure that we are not placing unnecessary regulatory burdens on these services as if they are a brand new facility. We do not want to create a regulatory burden on any hospital that may wish to convert to a rural emergency hospital in the future.
Ms. Mays responded to question from the committee.
Aaron Herbel, Administrator, Mercy Hospital, Inc., provided testimony in support of HB2249 (Attachment 20). Mr. Herbel provided information regarding his hospitals issues converting to a rural emergency hospital and having previously offered swing beds as part of its services to the community.
The following provided written only proponent testimony:
Kylee Childs, Director of Government Affairs, LeadingAge Kansas (Attachment 21)
Lacey Hunter, Commissioner, Survey, Certification & Credentialing, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (Attachment 22)
The hearing was closed.
