HB 446

Relating to health care; to create the Alabama Rural Hospital Resource Center, within the University of Alabama at Birmingham; to provide staffing and reporting requirements for the resource center; to create a rural administrative residency program; and to establish the areas in which the resource center may support participating rural hospitals.

Section 1

(a) The University of Alabama at Birmingham shall establish the Alabama Rural Hospital Resource Center. (b) The purpose of the resource center is to facilitate access to high quality care for rural Alabamians and improve their health by increasing the viability and capabilities of eligible hospitals at no or minimal cost to those hospitals. (c) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) ELIGIBLE HOSPITAL. A nonprofit or public rural hospital. (2) RESOURCE CENTER. The Rural Hospital Resource Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. (3) RURAL. Located in one of the following: a. An area designated as a shortage area as defined in 42 C.F.R. § 491.5(c) and (d); or b. A rural area as defined by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. (d) The resource center shall do all of the following: (1) Hire necessary staff. (2) Act as a resource for the Alabama Rural Hospital Global Budget Board, which includes providing technical assistance and assisting in the development of global payments. (3) Annually submit a report to the Legislature, State Finance Director, and Medicaid Commissioner regarding the effectiveness of the resource center. The report shall include all of the following: a. The financial improvement of participating hospitals. b. Satisfaction survey results from the management team and board of directors of each participating hospital. c. Improvements in the quality of participating hospitals. d. Improvements in access to care. e. Improvements in health status. (4) Establish a rural administrative residency program by working with the Graduate Program in Health Administration of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and pursuing funding for administrative residents who wish to work in rural health care. (e) The resource center may provide support to participating eligible hospitals in all of the following areas, with priority being given to hospitals participating in the global budget model: (1) Compliance. (2) Coding. (3) Purchasing and supply chain. (4) Quality. (5) Strategic planning. (6) Provider recruitment. (7) Cost report. (8) Insurance. (9) Any other area that furthers the purpose of the resource center.

Section 2

This act shall become effective immediately following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.