The bill amends the definition of "specialty hospital" within the Arkansas Medicaid Program, specifically regarding the assessment fee on hospitals. The updated definition clarifies that a specialty hospital is an acute care general hospital that primarily serves children and is exempt from the Medicare prospective payment system, or one that is primarily or exclusively engaged in the care and treatment of patients with specific conditions.

The amendments include the insertion of "cardiac" and "orthopedic or spinal conditions" to specify the types of conditions that qualify a hospital as a specialty hospital, while removing the previous reference to "cardiac" conditions. This change aims to broaden the scope of what constitutes a specialty hospital under Arkansas law, potentially impacting the assessment fees applicable to these facilities.

Statutes affected:
HB 1530: 20-77-1901(7)