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Committee clears bill to exempt Arkansas Surgical Hospital from hospital provider assessment after DHS says no CMS state-plan change needed
Summary
Lawmakers advanced House Bill 15-30, which would exempt Arkansas Surgical Hospital from the state hospital-provider assessment program; hospital leaders said the exemption would stop a net loss of about $1.3 million, while the Arkansas Hospital Association warned of federal risks to the program's funding.
Representative Jonathan Acre presented House Bill 15-30 to the committee and introduced Brian Fowler, chief executive officer of Arkansas Surgical Hospital, who asked lawmakers to amend the hospital‑provider assessment program to grant his hospital an exemption.
"This year, that amount is just under $1,300,000," Fowler said of the hospital’s net loss from participation in the provider-assessment program. He told the committee Arkansas Surgical Hospital provides specialty surgical services statewide and is a for‑profit facility that, he said, pays significant state and local taxes but does not…
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