SOS: Sustaining Outpatient Services Act

Key Points

• This bill, introduced by Senators Hoeven and Klobuchar, changes how Medicare pays for medical care at clinics that are owned by hospitals but located away from the main hospital building.
• Starting in 2027, these "off-campus" clinics would be allowed to charge Medicare higher hospital-level rates for certain specialized services that currently get paid at lower doctor-office rates.
• To qualify for the higher pay, the specific medical specialty must have received less than $2 million in total Medicare payments across the whole country during the previous year.
• The plan is designed to help small or highly specialized clinics stay open by making sure they get enough money from Medicare to cover their costs for rare or low-volume services.
• Supporters believe this will help patients keep access to specialized care in their local communities without having to travel to a major hospital campus.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.