Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services
Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions Can Provide Benefits to Certain Hospitals and Communities
Discusses challenges hospitals may face to increasing the scale of operations. Describes how partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions can help prevent hospital closure and preserve access, enhance patient care, and reduce costs. Includes examples of how four acquired hospitals in rural communities benefited from capital investments and improvements.
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Discusses challenges hospitals may face to increasing the scale of operations. Describes how partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions can help prevent hospital closure and preserve access, enhance patient care, and reduce costs. Includes examples of how four acquired hospitals in rural communities benefited from capital investments and improvements.
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Availability of Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Services in Rural Areas
September 14, 2021 webinar discussing the availability of post-acute care and long-term services in rural areas. Shares information on nursing home closures, nursing home deserts, and data describing nursing homes characteristics by metro and nonmetro location. Includes an analysis of hospitals with swing beds that provide coverage for post-acute care and long-term services in rural areas and home health services in rural areas without nursing homes.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Author(s): Hari Sharma
Date: 09/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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September 14, 2021 webinar discussing the availability of post-acute care and long-term services in rural areas. Shares information on nursing home closures, nursing home deserts, and data describing nursing homes characteristics by metro and nonmetro location. Includes an analysis of hospitals with swing beds that provide coverage for post-acute care and long-term services in rural areas and home health services in rural areas without nursing homes.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Author(s): Hari Sharma
Date: 09/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Changes in Socioeconomic Mix and Health Outcomes in Rural Counties with Hospital Closures, 2005-2018
Explores changes in socioeconomic mix and health outcomes that occurred in micropolitan and noncore counties with and without a complete hospital closure between 2005-2018, using the 2013 National Center for Health Statistics Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. Features statistics on number of counties that experienced hospital closures, percentage of hospital closures by Medicaid expansion status, trends in area unemployment and poverty rates and proportion of non-white residents across counties by closure status, and mortality rates, with breakdowns by micropolitan and noncore areas.
Author(s): Nathaniel Bell, Peiyin Hung, Kewei Shi, et al.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Explores changes in socioeconomic mix and health outcomes that occurred in micropolitan and noncore counties with and without a complete hospital closure between 2005-2018, using the 2013 National Center for Health Statistics Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. Features statistics on number of counties that experienced hospital closures, percentage of hospital closures by Medicaid expansion status, trends in area unemployment and poverty rates and proportion of non-white residents across counties by closure status, and mortality rates, with breakdowns by micropolitan and noncore areas.
Author(s): Nathaniel Bell, Peiyin Hung, Kewei Shi, et al.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Keeping the Doors Open: Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Benefit from Federally Funded Technical Assistance
Features the work of Texas A&M's Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH), which provides technical assistance through a federally funded program for vulnerable hospitals. Highlights the experiences of a participating Oklahoma hospital.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features the work of Texas A&M's Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH), which provides technical assistance through a federally funded program for vulnerable hospitals. Highlights the experiences of a participating Oklahoma hospital.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Hospital Closings in Southern States
Interactive map depicting 59 rural hospital closures from January 2012 - July 2021 in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Uses data from the North Carolina Health Research Program.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Interactive map depicting 59 rural hospital closures from January 2012 - July 2021 in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Uses data from the North Carolina Health Research Program.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Rural Communities at Risk: Widening Health Disparities Present New Challenges in Aftermath of Pandemic
Describes the health status, health disparities, and socioeconomic disparities of vulnerable rural communities. Analyzes the relationship between rural community vulnerability and the stability of the rural health safety net. Includes information on racial health disparities within rural communities.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Chartis Group
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Describes the health status, health disparities, and socioeconomic disparities of vulnerable rural communities. Analyzes the relationship between rural community vulnerability and the stability of the rural health safety net. Includes information on racial health disparities within rural communities.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Chartis Group
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Access to Affordable Care in Rural America: Current Trends and Key Challenges
Describes geographic and demographic challenges that contribute to healthcare access and health disparities in rural areas. Covers patterns of insurance coverage between rural and urban areas, healthcare provider shortages, and rural hospital vulnerability and closures. Discusses programs and services supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce barriers to care in rural communities, including telehealth, healthcare workforce programs, and Rural Health Clinics and Community Health Centers.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, D.Keith Branham, Lucy Chen, et al.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Describes geographic and demographic challenges that contribute to healthcare access and health disparities in rural areas. Covers patterns of insurance coverage between rural and urban areas, healthcare provider shortages, and rural hospital vulnerability and closures. Discusses programs and services supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce barriers to care in rural communities, including telehealth, healthcare workforce programs, and Rural Health Clinics and Community Health Centers.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, D.Keith Branham, Lucy Chen, et al.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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How Many Hospitals Might Convert to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH)?
Results of a study to predict the number of rural hospitals with 50 beds or fewer that are likely to consider conversion to Rural Emergency Hospital designation under the Medicare program. Features statistics on number and percent of complete closures and converted closures between 2011-2020 among hospitals with 50 beds or fewer, and open hospitals as of 2019-2020, with breakdowns by financial measures, operational measures, Medicare payment type, and census division.
Author(s): George H. Pink, Kristie W. Thompson, H. Ann Howard, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Results of a study to predict the number of rural hospitals with 50 beds or fewer that are likely to consider conversion to Rural Emergency Hospital designation under the Medicare program. Features statistics on number and percent of complete closures and converted closures between 2011-2020 among hospitals with 50 beds or fewer, and open hospitals as of 2019-2020, with breakdowns by financial measures, operational measures, Medicare payment type, and census division.
Author(s): George H. Pink, Kristie W. Thompson, H. Ann Howard, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2021
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 5 presents an interim report on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas. Also includes chapters on Medicare Advantage benchmark policy, alternative payment models, private equity and Medicare, the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, indirect medical education payments, Medicare coverage of vaccines, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, clinical laboratory fee schedule payment rates, and the relationship between clinician services and other Medicare services.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 5 presents an interim report on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas. Also includes chapters on Medicare Advantage benchmark policy, alternative payment models, private equity and Medicare, the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, indirect medical education payments, Medicare coverage of vaccines, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, clinical laboratory fee schedule payment rates, and the relationship between clinician services and other Medicare services.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Supporting and Sustaining Rural Hospitals
Describes state and federal actions to support and safeguard rural hospitals. Discusses appropriated funding opportunities for struggling hospitals, Medicaid coverage and eligibility, alternative payment models, and technical assistance programs.
Author(s): Noah Cruz
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Describes state and federal actions to support and safeguard rural hospitals. Discusses appropriated funding opportunities for struggling hospitals, Medicaid coverage and eligibility, alternative payment models, and technical assistance programs.
Author(s): Noah Cruz
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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