Small specialty medical practices — the kind where total Medicare payments to doctors in that specialty are under $2 million a year — sometimes operate out of hospital outpatient departments that are located off-campus from the main hospital. Under current rules, those off-campus sites can't bill under the hospital outpatient payment system, which often pays more than the physician fee schedule. Starting in 2027, this bill would let those low-volume specialty services at off-campus sites get paid under the hospital outpatient rates, helping to sustain access to specialized care — particularly in rural and underserved areas where these services might otherwise disappear.
Congressional Summary
SOS: Sustaining Outpatient Services Act This bill allows for payment under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services of certain items and services that are furnished at off-campus outpatient departments. Specifically, the bill allows for payment of items and services for which payments to physician specialists (under the Medicare physician fee schedule) did not exceed $2 million during the previous year.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-02-25
- Date Added
- 2026-03-30