Kent Conrad: “As the chairman knows, many rural hospitals are facing significant financial pressure and are finding it increasingly…”

“As the chairman knows, many rural hospitals are facing significant financial pressure and are finding it increasingly difficult to operate under the Medicare prospective payment system. In response, the chairman and I have worked closely to support our rural facilities and established the Critical Access Hospital Program in 1997. This program was designed to help small, rural facilities remain financially viable in the face of inadequate Medicare reimbursement, and it has been tremendously beneficial to maintaining access to hospital care across North Dakota and other rural states.”