This bill creates a new Medicare payment category for specialized long-term care hospitals that focus on treating patients with spinal cord injuries and acquired brain injuries. To qualify as a "catastrophic specialty hospital," a facility must meet specific criteria over a three-year period, including treating at least 80 percent patients with these conditions, maintaining at least 175 discharges per year for each injury type, offering inpatient and outpatient care plus wellness services, drawing at least 30 percent of patients from outside their home state, and demonstrating commitment to neurorehabilitation research. Hospitals that receive this designation will be paid outside the standard Medicare payment system used for other long-term care hospitals, potentially providing them with different reimbursement rates. The designation is valid for three years and can be renewed if hospitals continue to meet the criteria, though hospitals have 60 days to provide additional information if their status is about to expire. The bill does not specify new funding amounts but rather changes how Medicare reimburses these specialized facilities.
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