S. 1960: Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act

This bill, known as the Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act or the PEAKS Act, aims to amend the Social Security Act to enhance access to critical healthcare services in rural or isolated areas, especially those that face geographical challenges such as mountainous terrain or secondary roads. Below are the key components of the bill:

Designation of Critical Access Hospitals

The bill seeks to simplify the criteria for certain hospitals to maintain their designation as critical access hospitals (CAHs). Specifically:

• Hospitals that are currently designated as CAHs and can demonstrate that they met the distance requirement from another hospital (15 miles for mountainous terrain or areas with only secondary roads) as of their last certification will be considered to meet this requirement from January 1, 2026, onward.
• To qualify, the hospital must also have a new hospital or facility situated within a distance of 10 to 15 miles after the enactment of this law.

Ambulance Service Distance Requirements

The bill proposes changes to the distance requirements for ambulance services provided by critical access hospitals:

• The existing requirement of a 35-mile drive for ambulance services will be modified for services furnished in mountainous terrain or in areas with only secondary roads. For these locations, a 15-mile drive will apply starting January 1, 2026.

Implementation and Regulations

The Secretary of Health and Human Services is tasked with creating regulations to implement the changes outlined in this bill within one year of its enactment.

Objective

The overall goal of the PEAKS Act is to improve healthcare access for people living in difficult-to-reach areas by ensuring that critical access hospitals can continue to serve their communities effectively, especially in emergencies.

Relevant Companies

None found