Senate Bill 2372

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE MISSISSIPPI HOSPITAL SUSTAINABILITY GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPROVING AND PRESERVING ACCESS TO HOSPITAL CARE FOR ALL MISSISSIPPIANS AND IN RECOGNITION OF THE CHALLENGES INCURRED BY HOSPITALS AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE THAT THE FUNDS SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED TO EACH HOSPITAL LICENSED BY THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI EXCEPT FOR HOSPITALS OPERATED BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND STATE-OPERATED FACILITIES THAT PROVIDE ONLY INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES; TO PROVIDE FOR THE ELIGIBILITY FOR SPECIFIC HOSPITALS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING GRANT PAYMENT AMOUNTS; TO SET THE FUND DISTRIBUTION FORMULA THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SHALL USE FOR ALLOCATING REMAINING FUNDS APPROPRIATED FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM; TO SET CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR RECEIVING A GRANT PAYMENT UNDER THE ACT; TO REQUIRE EACH HOSPITAL RECEIVING FUNDS FROM THE GRANT PROGRAM TO SUBMIT A REPORT DESCRIBING ITS OVERALL PATIENT CENSUS; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO COMPILE SUCH REPORTS AND SUBMIT THE REPORTS TO THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE BY DECEMBER 1, 2023; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) There is hereby established the Mississippi Hospital Sustainability Grant Program.

(2) In order to measure, improve and preserve access to Mississippi hospital care for all Mississippians and in recognition of the challenges incurred by Mississippi hospitals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, funds from the Mississippi Hospital Sustainability Grant Program shall be distributed to each hospital licensed by the State of Mississippi except for hospitals operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and state-operated facilities that provide only inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services.

(3) Grant funds shall be distributed based upon the following formula:

(a) Each Mississippi-licensed rural hospital that has less than one hundred (100) licensed beds and that is not classified as a critical access hospital that operates an emergency department shall receive Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) to defray the costs of providing emergency department services.

(b) Each Mississippi-licensed rural hospital that has less than one hundred (100) licensed beds and that is classified as a critical access hospital that operates an emergency department shall receive Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($350,000.00) to defray the costs of providing emergency department services.

(c) Each Mississippi-licensed hospital that operates an emergency department and that has greater than one hundred (100) licensed beds shall receive One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00).

(d) Each Mississippi-licensed hospital with less than one hundred (100) licensed beds with the majority of such beds being dedicated to providing freestanding long term acute care, freestanding rehabilitation or freestanding psychiatric services shall receive Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00).

(4) In addition to the funds distributed above, any remaining funds appropriated for the purposes of this grant program shall be distributed on a pro-rata amount by dividing the remaining funds by the number of licensed beds attributable to all Mississippi licensed hospital eligible to receive funds under this program and determining a dollar amount for each bed and then multiplying that dollar amount by the licensed bed count for each hospital and distributing that amount to each respective hospital. In addition to the above, in order to receive a grant payment under this section, each hospital must submit a report describing its overall patient census, its number of licensed beds and the medical services offered to its community (e.g., labor and delivery, intensive care units, emergency department, psychiatric, chemical dependency, surgery, neurology, orthopedic, etc.).

(5) The grant program described herein shall be administered by the Mississippi Department of Health. In promulgating rules for this grant, the Department shall not place additional qualification requirements on hospitals other than the minimum requirements required under this act. The Department shall compile the reports provided by the hospitals receiving funds under this program and submit the report to the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House by December 1, 2023.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.