The "Emergency Care Improvement Act" seeks to amend the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of certain services furnished by freestanding emergency centers (FECs) under both Medicare and Medicaid. Congress found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a waiver allowed over 118 FECs, primarily in Texas, to enroll as Medicare-certified hospitals, providing high-quality emergency services. An actuarial study indicated these FECs saved the Medicare program 21.8 percent in lower emergency care payments for patients of similar acuity without increasing overall utilization. The bill defines a freestanding emergency center as an independent, 24/7 staffed facility with a physician, arrangements for hospital referrals, a governing body, and a quality assessment program. These centers must be located in metropolitan areas or specific rural counties and meet state requirements for emergency medical services that typically do not involve stays exceeding 24 hours. Specified emergency services covered by the bill include emergency services, excluding lower acuity evaluation and management service codes (99281-99282). Under this legislation, Medicare Part B would cover these specified emergency services, with payment determined as if they were covered outpatient department services. Medicaid coverage would also be extended to these services provided by FECs. Furthermore, the bill applies the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements to participating FECs, treating them similarly to hospital emergency departments for patient stabilization and transfer. An exclusion from physician self-referral prohibitions (Stark Law) is also created for laboratory and imaging services furnished by FECs in connection with specified emergency services.