Rural Health
News by Topic: Hospitals
Mar 12, 2026 - Describes state-level legislation in Mississippi creating a pilot program that changes certificate of needs (CON) laws. The program would loosen CON regulations for small communities with extra exemptions for the Mississippi Delta. Discusses the potential impact on rural hospitals.
Source: Mississippi Today
Mar 10, 2026 - Highlights a pilot program in a rural Missouri community offering a coordinated response to health and social needs for Medicaid patients. The program allows hospitals and other organizations to refer patients to service providers and track whether their needs are getting addressed. Describes how the program was started, the federal waiver that allows the program to run, and the technology used for it. Discusses sustainability challenges common for rural service providers.
Source: The Beacon: Missouri
Mar 10, 2026 - Describes a hospital renovation project in rural Iowa. Includes discussion of how U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Facilities Direct Loans and Guaranteed Loans will be used for the project.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mar 10, 2026 - Highlights the increased cost of healthcare for rural Vermont residents due to Medicare reimbursement policy for Critical Access Hospitals. Notes that policymakers are investigating solutions that equitably distribute cost while supporting CAHs that may be negatively impacted by budget changes.
Mar 9, 2026 - Summarizes comments from a HIMSS26 Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum discussing cybersecurity for rural hospitals. Covers topics including regional collaboration, communicating with facility administration, and cybersecurity workforce.
Source: Healthcare IT News
Mar 6, 2026 - Profiles a labor and delivery department in a rural North Carolina Critical Access Hospital. Maternity services were re-started in 2020 using family physicians after closing the department in 1991. Describes maternity care access across North Carolina, challenges with sustaining the service for rural communities, and how they can be a model to other rural communities.
Source: North Carolina Health News
Mar 5, 2026 - Describes challenges around building a new hospital on Navajo Nation. Discusses working within multiple levels of governments, funding, incorporating traditional medicine and facilities, and attracting workforce.
Source: Cronkite News
Mar 3, 2026 - Describes a teleoncology program in a rural Idaho hospital. The program allows cancer patients to meet with specialists through telehealth while using local facilities for lab work and treatment.
Source: KMVT, KSVT
Mar 2, 2026 - Summarizes remarks from Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) administrators at the 2026 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Discusses workforce, healthcare delivery, administration priorities, the Rural Health Transformation Program, and more.
Source: HRSA eNews
Feb 26, 2026 - Announces a bipartisan bill that would create a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital designation called an "In Character" Critical Access Hospital. The new designation would ensure hospitals already designated as CAHs do not lose their designation and directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide administration for the designation.
Source: Office of Representative Glenn Thompson