Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services
Revealing Rural Realities: What Fuels Inaccurate and Incomplete Coverage of Rural Issues?
Report discussing the representation and misrepresentation of rural issues and prosperity in national and regional news media and journalism. Offers recommendations to journalists based on interviews in 2019 with rural experts, activists, and journalists, and a media scan to analyze coverage of rural America in national and regional news. Identifies rural healthcare as a common topic of coverage, noting media emphasis on negative aspects of rural life including hospital closures, health disparities, and suicide.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Aspen Institute, Center for Rural Strategies, Hattaway Communications, Rural Housing Assistance Council
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Report discussing the representation and misrepresentation of rural issues and prosperity in national and regional news media and journalism. Offers recommendations to journalists based on interviews in 2019 with rural experts, activists, and journalists, and a media scan to analyze coverage of rural America in national and regional news. Identifies rural healthcare as a common topic of coverage, noting media emphasis on negative aspects of rural life including hospital closures, health disparities, and suicide.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Aspen Institute, Center for Rural Strategies, Hattaway Communications, Rural Housing Assistance Council
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COVID-19's Current Impact on Rural Healthcare Delivery: Q&A with Brock Slabach
An interview with Brock Slabach, the National Rural Health Association's Senior Vice President for Member Services. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on rural healthcare facilities, policy changes impacting rural providers, collaboration among rural communities to help share solutions, and the use of telehealth during the pandemic.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An interview with Brock Slabach, the National Rural Health Association's Senior Vice President for Member Services. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on rural healthcare facilities, policy changes impacting rural providers, collaboration among rural communities to help share solutions, and the use of telehealth during the pandemic.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Effect of Rural Hospital Closures on Emergency Medical Service Response and Transport Times
Examines ways in which rural hospital closures affect EMS response time, transport time, and total activation time, using data from 2010-2016. Features statistics comparing rates prior to rural hospital closure and immediately post-closure.
Author(s): Katherine E.M. Miller, Hailey J. James, George Mark Holmes, Courtney H. Van Houtven
Citation: Health Services Research, 55(2), 288-300
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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Examines ways in which rural hospital closures affect EMS response time, transport time, and total activation time, using data from 2010-2016. Features statistics comparing rates prior to rural hospital closure and immediately post-closure.
Author(s): Katherine E.M. Miller, Hailey J. James, George Mark Holmes, Courtney H. Van Houtven
Citation: Health Services Research, 55(2), 288-300
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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Hospital Access in the Fifth District and COVID-19
Examines hospital access in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Discusses concerns raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and provides state- and county-level statistics and data on number of hospital beds per capita, average distance to nearest hospitals, and more.
Author(s): Surekha Carpenter, Tim Sablik
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
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Examines hospital access in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Discusses concerns raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and provides state- and county-level statistics and data on number of hospital beds per capita, average distance to nearest hospitals, and more.
Author(s): Surekha Carpenter, Tim Sablik
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
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Health Care Professional Workforce Composition Before and After Rural Hospital Closure
Policy brief examining the change in numbers of local healthcare providers before and after rural hospital closures from 2010-2018, to examine associations with eliminating inpatient services in rural areas. Features statistics with breakdowns by advanced practice providers, primary care providers, and specialists.
Author(s): Erin Mobley, Fred Ullrich, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Mina Shrestha, Keith Mueller
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Policy brief examining the change in numbers of local healthcare providers before and after rural hospital closures from 2010-2018, to examine associations with eliminating inpatient services in rural areas. Features statistics with breakdowns by advanced practice providers, primary care providers, and specialists.
Author(s): Erin Mobley, Fred Ullrich, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Mina Shrestha, Keith Mueller
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis
Offers policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensuring local access to care. Discusses strategies to provide financial relief to rural providers, preserve obstetric services, expand telehealth services, and address workforce shortages. Includes brief references to policy actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Rural Hospital Transformation Models, Summary, The Case for Expanding Telehealth Services, July 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center Rural Health Task Force
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Offers policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensuring local access to care. Discusses strategies to provide financial relief to rural providers, preserve obstetric services, expand telehealth services, and address workforce shortages. Includes brief references to policy actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Rural Hospital Transformation Models, Summary, The Case for Expanding Telehealth Services, July 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center Rural Health Task Force
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2020 Rural Hospital Sustainability Index
Reports on an analysis of rural hospital financial viability. Identifies the number of hospitals by state at financial risk of closing and the number by state at high financial risk that are considered essential for community trauma access. Full report is available with email registration.
Additional links: State-Based Data
Author(s): David Mosley, Daniel DeBehnke
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Guidehouse
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Reports on an analysis of rural hospital financial viability. Identifies the number of hospitals by state at financial risk of closing and the number by state at high financial risk that are considered essential for community trauma access. Full report is available with email registration.
Additional links: State-Based Data
Author(s): David Mosley, Daniel DeBehnke
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Guidehouse
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The Rural Health Safety Net Under Pressure: Rural Hospital Vulnerability
Examines financial and operational metrics for closed hospitals in the 36 months prior to closure. Identifies 453 rural facilities vulnerable to closure and the performance variables that have the greatest impact on a facility's likelihood of closure.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Examines financial and operational metrics for closed hospitals in the 36 months prior to closure. Identifies 453 rural facilities vulnerable to closure and the performance variables that have the greatest impact on a facility's likelihood of closure.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Medicare: Information on Medicare-Dependent Hospitals
Provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. Discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time. Examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. Discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time. Examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Nursing Home Closures and Trends: June 2015 - June 2019
Provides an overview of the causes and implications of 500 nursing home closures between June 2015 and June 2019. Examines the geographic distribution of these closures, including states in which closures are concentrated in rural areas. Explores nursing home closures in relation to occupancy rates, quality ratings, tax status, and the impact of Medicaid payment policies. Offers recommendations for policymakers and nursing homes.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: LeadingAge
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Provides an overview of the causes and implications of 500 nursing home closures between June 2015 and June 2019. Examines the geographic distribution of these closures, including states in which closures are concentrated in rural areas. Explores nursing home closures in relation to occupancy rates, quality ratings, tax status, and the impact of Medicaid payment policies. Offers recommendations for policymakers and nursing homes.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: LeadingAge
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