Eligible rural hospital definition

Eligible rural hospital means any nonfederal, general acute care hospital that:

Eligible rural hospital. , as used in this section, shall mean a general hospital that as of December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine or thereafter, was classified as a rural hospital for purposes of determining payment for inpatient services provided to beneficiaries of title XVIII of the federal social security act (medicare) or under state regulations, or a general hospital, which during the same time period, had a service area which has an average population of less than one hundred seventy-five persons per square mile, or a general hospital which has a service area which has an average population of less than two hundred persons per square mile measured as population density by zip code. The average population of the service area is calculated by multiplying annual patient discharges by the population density per square mile of the county of origin or zip code as applicable for each patient discharge and dividing by total discharges. Annual patient discharges shall be determined using discharge data for the nineteen hundred ninety-seven rate year, as reported to the commissioner by October first, nineteen hundred ninety-eight. Population density shall be determined utilizing United States census bureau data for nineteen hundred ninety-seven. If an eligible rural hospital merges with another general hospital, on or after December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine, and the merger results in separate facilities operating under a single facility operating certificate, such eligible rural hospital shall continue to be a separate eligible rural hospital for purposes of this subdivision until June thirtieth, two thousand three, and payments provided in accordance with this section shall be made to the merged entity; provided, however, that payments shall only be made to the merged entity if such separate eligible rural hospital continues to provide inpatient and/or outpatient hospital services at the same location at which it operated prior to the merger. If an eligible rural hospital merges with another general hospital on or after December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine, and the merger results in such rural hospital continuing to operate under a separate facility operating certificate, such rural hospital will continue to be an eligible rural hospital after the merger; provided, however, that payments shall only be made to such rural hospital if such eligible rural hospital continues to provide inpatient and/or outpatient hospital services at the sa...