House Status:
Senate Status:
Senate Status:
Minutes for SB82 - 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 Mon, Mar 3, 2025
Carly Choi, Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of SB82 (Attachment 1).
Tara Mays, Vice President, State Legislative Relations, Kansas Hospital Association, provided testimony in support of SB82 (Attachment 2). The bill mirrors HB2249. The Rural Emergency Hospital program provides a new way to assist struggling rural hospitals. Three hospitals have converted to a Rural emergency Hospital: Ark City, LaCrosse and Moundridge. The bill addresses the issue of skilled nursing beds. Previously, all these beds were licensed under KDHE. KDADS will now be licensing these skilled nursing beds. The Secretary of KDADS will need to grant a physical environment waiver to ensure we are not placing unnecessary regulatory burdens on these services.
Kylee Childs. Director of Government Affairs, LeadingAge Kansas, provided testimony in support of SB82 (Attachment 3). With the introduction of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) program, it is now a requirement that no long term inpatient beds be available. This bill will remedy this issue. The experience Moundridge Hospital was reviewed. There is a critical need of these types of beds in rural areas.
Lacey Hunter, Commissioner, Survey, Certification and Credentialing, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, provided neutral testimony on SB82 (Attachment 4). The bill would require the Secretary of KDADS to provide a waiver to physical environment standards to any rural emergency hospital that meets the criteria described in the bill, allowing them to transition up to 10 beds from swing beds to skilled nursing facility nursing beds. Eligible hospitals also must have previously provided skilled nursing level of care or identified swing beds. The bill would have little fiscal impact on KDADS. This is only true if CMS approves.
The following provided written only neutral testimony:
Jerry Smith, Director of the Bureau of Facilities and Licensing, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (Attachment 5)
The hearing was closed.
