PROHIBITING DENIAL OF REQUEST BY RURAL REFERRAL CENTERS FOR RECLASSIFICATION ON BASIS OF COMPARABILITY OF WAGES.

SEC. 4202. PROHIBITING DENIAL OF REQUEST BY RURAL REFERRAL CENTERS FOR RECLASSIFICATION ON BASIS OF COMPARABILITY OF WAGES. (a) In General.—Section 1886(d)(10)(D) (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(10)(D)) is amended— (1) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and (2) by inserting after clause (ii) the following new clause: “(iii) Under the guidelines published by the Secretary under clause (i), in the case of a hospital which has ever been classified by the Secretary as a rural referral center under paragraph (5)(C), the Board may not reject the application of the hospital under 111 STAT. 375this paragraph on the basis of any comparison between the average hourly wage of the hospital and the average hourly wage of hospitals in the area in which it is located.”. (b) Continuing Treatment of Previously Designated Centers.— (1) In general.—Any hospital classified as a rural referral center by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 1886(d)(5)(C) of the Social Security Act for fiscal year 1991 shall be classified as such a rural referral center for fiscal year 1998 and each subsequent fiscal year. (2) Budget neutrality.—The provisions of section 1886(d)(8)(D) of the Social Security Act shall apply to reclassifications made pursuant to paragraph (1) in the same manner as such provisions apply to a reclassification under section 1886(d)(10) of such Act.