Federal farm bill includes funds for critical access hospitals in rural areas

Rural Pennsylvania hospitals are "eagerly awaiting passage" of the federal 2007 Farm Bill (HR 2419), which would provide about $1.6 billion to critical access hospitals that serve rural populations across the U.S., the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

A federal program that aims to help critical access hospitals stay open is set to expire in September, and the farm bill would replace that program.

Such hospitals receive higher reimbursements for patient care than larger hospitals, but they must accept Medicare beneficiaries, limit acute-care beds to 25 and provide 24-hour emergency care. To qualify as a critical access hospital, the facilities must be located more than 35 miles from another hospital or 15 miles over secondary roads or mountainous terrain, according to the Tribune-Review. There are 1,283 critical access hospitals nationwide.

Pennsylvania has a higher number of residents living in rural areas than any other state -- 3.7 million of the state's 12.4 million residents, according to the Pennsylvania Rural Development Council. Hospitals serving this population are "the difference between life and death" for some patients, but they "are falling apart with leaking roofs, crumbling plumbing and outdated equipment," the Tribune-Review reports.

Walter Van Dyke -- CEO of Tyrone Hospital, a critical access hospital in Blair County, Pa. -- said critical access hospitals should form agreements with bigger medical centers, concentrate on diagnostics and primary care, and refer patients elsewhere for specialized treatment (Acton, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 7/5).