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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jun 25, 2009
Rural Health Clinic Patient Access and Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to rural health clinic reimbursement.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make incentive payments to rural health clinic employees or contractors for satisfactory reporting of data on clinic quality measures.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow a community health center to contract with a federally certified rural health clinic for the delivery of primary health care services to individuals who would otherwise be eligible for free or reduced cost care if they were able to obtain it at the community health center.
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Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the diabetes education and medical nutrition therapy counseling services provided by federally qualified health clinics.
Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project of grants to states to examine whether health care professionals can be recruited or retained to work in underserved rural areas by providing them with medical malpractice subsidies.
States that a rural health clinic qualified under Medicare or Medicaid may be defined and certified by the Secretary as rural even if it fails to satisfy the requirement that it not be located in an urbanized area.
Amends SSA title XVIII to establish the minimum Medicare Advantage plan payment rate for services furnished by a rural health clinic.
Expresses the sense of the Senate concerning the adequacy of network-based health plans.
People & committees
Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] · R–WY
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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