rural health clinic
(2) The term “rural health clinic” means a facility which— (A) is primarily engaged in furnishing to outpatients services described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1); (B) in the case of a facility which is not a physician-directed clinic, has an arrangement (consistent with the provisions of State and local law relative to the practice, performance, and delivery of health services) with one or more physicians (as defined in subsection (r)(1)) under which provision is made for the periodic review by such physicians of covered services furnished by physician assistants and nurse practitioners, the supervision and guidance by such physicians of physician assistants and nurse practitioners, the preparation by such physicians of such medical orders for care and treatment of clinic patients as may be necessary, and the availability of such physicians for such referral of and consultation for patients as is necessary and for advice and assistance in the management of medical emergencies; and, in the case of a physician-directed clinic, has one or more of its staff physicians perform the activities accomplished through such an arrangement; (C) maintains clinical records on all patients; (D) has arrangements with one or more hospitals, having agreements in effect under section 1395cc of this title , for the referral and admission of patients requiring inpatient services or such diagnostic or other specialized services as are not available at the clinic; (E) has written policies, which are developed with the advice of (and with provision for review of such policies from time to time by) a group of professional personnel, including one or more physicians and one or more physician assistants or nurse practitioners, to govern those services described in paragraph (1) which it furnishes; (F) has a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner responsible for the execution of policies described in subparagraph (E) and relating to the provision of the clinic’s services; (G) directly provides routine diagnostic services, including clinical laboratory services, as prescribed in regulations by the Secretary, and has prompt access to additional diagnostic services from facilities meeting requirements under this subchapter; (H) in compliance with State and Federal law, has available for administering to patients of the clinic at least such drugs and biologicals as are determined by the Secretary to be necessary for the treatment of emergency cases (as defined in regulations) and has appropriate procedures or arrangements for storing, administering, and dispensing any drugs and biologicals; (I) has a quality assessment and performance improvement program, and appropriate procedures for review of utilization of clinic services, as the Secretary may specify; (J) has a nurse practitioner, a physician assistant, or a certified nurse-midwife (as defined in subsection (gg)) available to furnish patient care services not less than 50 percent of the time the clinic operates; and (K) meets such other requirements as the Secretary may find necessary in the interest of the health and safety of the individuals who are furnished services by the clinic. For the purposes of this subchapter, such term includes only a facility which (i) is located in an area that is not an urbanized area (as defined by the Bureau of the Census) and in which there are insufficient numbers of needed health care practitioners (as determined by the Secretary), and that, within the previous 4-year period, has been designated by the chief executive officer of the State and certified by the Secretary as an area with a shortage of personal health services or designated by the Secretary either (I) as an area with a shortage of personal health services under section 330(b)(3) or 1302(7) of the Public Health Service Act [ 42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3) , 300e–1(7)], (II) as a health professional shortage area described in section 332(a)(1)(A) of that Act [ 42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)(A) ] because of its shortage of primary medical care manpower, (III) as a high impact area described in section 329(a)(5) 8 of that Act, or (IV) as an area which includes a population group which the Secretary determines has a health manpower shortage under section 332(a)(1)(B) of that Act [ 42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)(B) ], (ii) has filed an agreement with the Secretary by which it agrees not to charge any individual or other person for items or services for which such individual is entitled to have payment made under this subchapter, except for the amount of any deductible or coinsurance amount imposed with respect to such items or services (not in excess of the amount customarily charged for such items and services by such clinic), pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of section 1395 l of this title, (iii) employs a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, and (iv) is not a rehabilitation agency or a facility which is primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases. A facility that is in operation and qualifies as a rural health clinic under this subchapter or subchapter XIX and that subsequently fails to satisfy the requirement of clause (i) shall be considered, for purposes of this subchapter and subchapter XIX, as still satisfying the requirement of such clause if it is determined, in accordance with criteria established by the Secretary in regulations, to be essential to the delivery of primary care services that would otherwise be unavailable in the geographic area served by the clinic. If a State agency has determined under section 1395aa(a) of this title that a facility is a rural health clinic and the facility has applied to the Secretary for approval as such a clinic, the Secretary shall notify the facility of the Secretary’s approval or disapproval not later than 60 days after the date of the State agency determination or the application (whichever is later).