H.R. 538 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2025
Cosponsors: 2 (1 D, 1 R) · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-12
Introduced: 2025-01-16
Latest action (2025-01-16): Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
What H.R. 538 does, in plain terms
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2025 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
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