NARHC Forum

Contributor: Natalie Fluchel, Marble Hill Medical Clinic LLC

We are thinking of changing hours of rural health clinic. How do we report this change and who do we report it to? Or do we even have to report it?

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Contributor: Jodi Sweeney, Lake Chelan Health RHC

Following

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Contributor: jeffrey.burke@narhc.org

Hi Natalie,

I don't believe there is a requirement to notify about a change to an RHC's hours of operations. The Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Chapter 13 doesn't directly address changes to hours of operations, but says:

RHCs and FQHCs are required to post their hours of operations at or near the entrance in a
manner that clearly states the days of the week and the hours that RHC or FQHC services are
furnished, and days of the week and the hours that the building is open solely for
administrative or other purposes, if applicable. This information should be easily readable,
including by people with vision problems and people who are in wheel chairs.

So I believe as long as these requirements are met, you should be all set just posting the new hours. If there's other information that folks have about state level rules, or information from accreditors/surveyors, feel free to chime in. Hope this is helpful!

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Contributor: Sarah Hohman, National Association of Rural Health Clinics

In addition to updating all posted hours (including on your website, social media, etc.), given that surveys are unscheduled and unannounced please ensure that you are reporting any change in hours, even temporary, to your accrediting organization or state agency. 

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