Second Chances for Rural Hospitals Act

The Second Chances for Rural Hospitals Act changes the rules for hospitals to qualify as rural emergency hospitals under Medicare. It adds a new requirement that a hospital must have been designated as rural by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy. This affects rural hospitals seeking this specific designation, which is needed to receive certain Medicare payment benefits. The bill also updates the effective date for these criteria to January 1, 2014, instead of the bill's enactment date.