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

The amendments include the insertion of "cardiac" and "orthopedic or spinal conditions" to clarify the types of conditions that qualify a hospital as a specialty hospital. The previous language referring to "cardiac" conditions has been deleted, and the new language enhances the specificity of the definition to include orthopedic and spinal conditions, thereby broadening the scope of what constitutes a specialty hospital under the Arkansas Medicaid Program.

Statutes affected:
SB 532: 20-77-1901(7)