WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced that U.S. hospitals treating Haitian patients evacuated with life-threatening injuries due to the earthquake will receive federal reimbursement for the costs they incur.

HHS has activated additional components of the National Disaster Medical System to help U.S. hospitals provide care to critically ill earthquake survivors.

"This is part of our larger strategy, working with the government of Haiti and our international partners, to help increase the capacity both inside Haiti, as well as in the U.S. and other countries, to help Haitians who need critical medical assistance," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius said accredited hospitals – usually more than100 beds in size and located in large U.S. metropolitan areas – are encouraged to enter into a voluntary agreement with the NDMS. Hospitals agree to commit a number of their acute care beds, subject to availability, for NDMS patients.

Hospitals may, upon activation of the system, provide more or fewer beds than the number committed in the agreement. Hospitals that admit NDMS patients are guaranteed reimbursement at 110 percent of Medicare rates by the government.

The HHS previously activated the field medical care component of NDMS, which has enabled approximately 270 health and medical personnel to deploy to Haiti as part of disaster medical assistance teams.

In addition, public health experts from the HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are participating in teams conducting rapid assessments of ongoing surveillance of health conditions in Haiti to help prevent and contain additional health threats to the people of Haiti following the earthquake.