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Committee approves repeal of state hospital licensing rules, deferring to federal CMS certification standards
Summary
The committee approved a rule docket that repeals certain Idaho hospital licensing rules, leaving federal CMS certification as the licensing standard for hospitals seeking reimbursement for CMS patients.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved a temporary rule docket that repeals portions of Idaho’s hospital licensing rules so that hospitals certified by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be deemed licensed in Idaho for purposes of CMS patient care reimbursement.
Jared Larson, legislative and regulatory affairs chief at the Department of Health and Welfare, told the committee the change removes duplicative state rules that were more restrictive than federal certification standards. “All this does is says the effect of that legislation would be to repeal these rules…and say if you are a licensed hospital in the state, by CMS in the state of [Idaho], you're deemed licensed in Idaho,” Larson said.
Larson said the department is working with Senator Blaylock on legislation to move the necessary policy elements from rule into statute. He framed the change as returning policy decisions to the Legislature: “Policy should begin at the legislature,” he said.
Senator Wintrow asked whether the change would alter patient eligibility or access; Larson replied it would not. The motion to approve the docket was made by Senator Harris and seconded by Senator Blaylock; the committee approved the docket on a voice vote.
The transcript identifies the docket as temporary rules that keep in effect what the Legislature approved previously and extends those rules until July 1 of the year referenced in the rule text. The transcript does not record a detailed roll-call tally for the voice vote.
