Emergency Care Improvement Act

This bill would let Medicare and Medicaid pay for certain emergency care at freestanding emergency centers (FECs). These are 24/7 emergency rooms not attached to hospitals. To qualify, they must have a doctor on site at all times, be able to quickly transfer patients to a hospital when needed, run a quality program, and meet state rules. They can be in metro areas, or in some rural counties that don’t have a hospital or a rural emergency hospital . Lawmakers note that during COVID-19, FECs were temporarily allowed to bill Medicare and, according to claims data, did not drive more ER use and saved Medicare about 22% for similar patients.

The bill sets Medicare payments for FEC care similar to what hospital outpatient departments would be paid for the same services, and it defines which ER visits are covered, excluding some very low‑level visits. It also addresses how federal emergency treatment rules apply to these centers and allows FEC doctors to use their own lab and imaging during an emergency visit without running into doctor self‑referral limits. These changes would start for services provided on or after the day the bill becomes law.

• Who is affected: People with Medicare and Medicaid; freestanding emergency centers; nearby hospitals for transfers .
• What changes: Medicare and Medicaid cover defined ER services at FECs; payment aligns with hospital outpatient rates; applies federal emergency care rules; allows in‑house lab/imaging during the ER visit; excludes some very low‑level visits from coverage.
• When: Applies to care given on or after the date it becomes law.