Minnesota House of Representatives
District 12A 651-296-4929 – rep.jay.mcnamar@house.mn
431 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Matt Privratsky – 651-296-6860
March 7, 2013
Rep. McNamar’s Bill to Help Rural Hospitals Unanimously Passes the House
ST. PAUL, MN– Today the Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill that will allow for reimbursement of services in critical access hospitals across the state. Rep. Jay McNamar (DFL – Elbow Lake), the chief author, worked with local hospitals to create a bill that worked for medical professionals and patients.
“The bottom line is that the old requirements created an unnecessary burden for rural hospitals,” said Rep. McNamar. “I talked with hospitals and medical facilities across my district and heard the same thing from each of them: they would either lose money or not be able to perform services under the current legislation. And that’s not something we should be forcing on our medical professionals or their patients.”
In 2012, legislation was enacted to require certain facilities and providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services to be accredited by certain organizations in order to receive payment for services. This requirement for additional accreditation has proved burdensome and cost-prohibitive for numerous small, rural hospitals across the state.
Rep. McNamar’s bill ensures that licensed hospitals are eligible for reimbursement without further accreditation for those specific services.
Rick Ash, administrator of the Ortonville Area Hospital Services in west central Minnesota, and Geri Burmeister, administrator of the Windom Hospital in southern Minnesota, testified in support of the bill during committee hearings.
Throughout the legislative session, Rep. McNamar encourages all constituents to contact him directly with any questions, comments, or concerns on any legislative issue. Rep. McNamar can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4929 or by email at rep.jay.mcnamar@house.mn .
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