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119-hr-10844119th CongressWALLET

Mobile Stroke Units Improve Health Outcomes Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a Medicare outpatient payment pathway for hospital-run Mobile Stroke Units. It would treat MSU diagnostic, evaluation, and treatment services for acute stroke as if they were furnished by the hospital's on-campus outpatient department and pay them under the outpatient prospective payment system.

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  • Hospitals operating MSUs would be paid under the outpatient prospective payment system for qualifying MSU stroke services, with the payment pathway applying to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.
  • Rural communities and ambulance services would get a targeted incentive: MSU rendezvous deployments receive a 5 percent payment increase when the service is furnished in a rural area or when the ambulance transport began in a rural area.
  • Medicare implementation and hospital accounting are clarified by tying MSU and rural definitions to existing Medicare sections and excluding MSU-related items and services from inpatient operating cost calculations.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Medicare payments for mobile stroke units

If enacted, Medicare would treat certain services from hospital-run mobile stroke units as hospital outpatient services. It would start for services furnished on or after January 1, 2027. The services must be for diagnosing, evaluating, or treating acute stroke. Medicare payments for those services would use the outpatient prospective payment system. For rendezvous-model MSU services, Medicare would add 5 percent when the service was furnished in a rural area. If the service was not in a rural area, the 5 percent would apply when the ambulance transport began in a rural area. Medicare would also exclude these MSU items and services from hospitals' inpatient operating cost calculations.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]

TN • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 10/19/2026

  • Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2]

    NY • R

    Sponsored 10/19/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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