This bill establishes a framework for rural emergency hospitals in Kansas to provide skilled nursing facility care by allowing the secretary for aging and disability services to grant waivers for certain regulatory requirements. Specifically, it permits rural emergency hospitals to transition up to 10 swing beds to skilled nursing facility beds, provided they meet specific criteria, including being currently licensed as a rural emergency hospital, having been licensed as a hospital prior to that, and having provided skilled nursing or critical access hospital swing bed services for at least one year without any immediate jeopardy findings.

The bill defines key terms such as "critical access hospital" and "hospital" in accordance with existing Kansas statutes. It emphasizes that this new provision will supplement the existing rural emergency hospital act, ensuring that rural facilities can adapt to the needs of their communities while maintaining regulatory compliance. The act will take effect upon its publication in the statute book.