This bill allows Medicare to pay for anesthesia services provided by anesthesiologists in certain rural hospitals and critical access hospitals on a reasonable cost basis rather than the standard payment method. To qualify, rural hospitals must have employed or contracted with an anesthesiologist as of the bill's enactment, perform no more than 800 surgical procedures requiring anesthesia annually, and have their anesthesiologists agree not to bill Medicare Part B separately for services provided at the hospital. The changes take effect one year after the bill's enactment for rural hospitals and two years after enactment for critical access hospitals. The bill does not specify funding amounts, as it modifies existing Medicare payment structures rather than appropriating new funds. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must update regulations within one year to implement these payment changes.
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