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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services

Geographic Variation in the 2019 Risk of Financial Distress among Rural Hospitals
Uses updated results from the Financial Distress Index to show geographic variation in rural hospitals at risk of financial distress and possible closure or reduction of services. Features statistics showing percentage of rural hospitals in each risk category in 2019 by census region, and a state-level map showing the number and percentage of rural hospitals at high risk.
Author(s): Sharita R. Thomas, George H. Pink, Kristin Reiter
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services: Chapter 3
Examines the adequacy of Medicare payments to hospitals in 2017 and offers recommendations for changes. Includes a discussion of rural hospital closures and provides rural/urban breakdowns for hospital occupancy rates, Medicare inpatient discharges, and Medicare margins.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Meeting Needs in Rural Health: Research, Action, Policy
Provides slides from a presentation at the 2019 American Hospital Association Rural Health Care Leadership Conference. Focuses on rural Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), what happens after hospital closures, and opportunities for advancing rural health based on recommendations from RUPRI Health Panel. Includes maps showing non-metropolitan county locations of ACOs over time.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 02/2019
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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Addressing Rural Workforce Shortages and Healthcare Disparities: An Annotated Bibliography
Report designed to inform policy discussions and future publications concerning healthcare disparities and outcomes, the distribution of physicians in rural areas, and the graduate medical education system financing. Also includes sections on rural hospital closures, social determinants of health, and healthcare safety net facilities. Constructed from a literature review, expert-recommended articles, and a search of white and grey literature.
Author(s): Dara Khatib, Alison Huffstetler, Andrew Bazemore
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Do Hospital Closures Affect Patient Time in an Ambulance?
Examines the impact of hospital closures on patient travel time to an emergency department (ED) by ambulance. Uses national data on hospital closures and hospital-based ambulance services and compares rural/urban differences.
Author(s): SuZanne Troske, Alison Davis
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Rural Hospital Sustainability: New Data Show Worsening Situation for Rural Hospitals, Residents
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. Discusses factors affecting rural hospitals' finances and offers recommendations for policymakers and regional/academic partnerships.
Author(s): David Mosley, Daniel DeBehnke
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Navigant
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Rural Hospital Closures and the Fifth District
Discusses reasons for rural hospital closures as well as the resulting consequences on communities, including decreased healthcare access, loss of jobs, and more. Emphasizes hospital closures in the Fifth Federal Reserve District and provides recommendations to policymakers and government leaders.
Author(s): Emily Wavering Corcoran, Sonya Ravindranath Waddell
Date: 2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
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The Relationship Between Rural Setting and Health: Factors that Influence Individuals With or at Risk of CVD - A Summary of the Literature
Describes current literature on rural challenges and opportunities, including cardiovascular risk due to obesity, lack of access to healthcare, workforce shortages, importance of paramedics and community health workers, telehealth and broadband, and impact of the substance use disorder epidemic. Intended to help stakeholders understand the causes of health disparities and to support action to improve the health of rural communities.
Date: 2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Heart Association
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No Mercy
Year-long series following the closure of Fort Scott's hospital in Kansas and the impact of the hospital's closure on the community. Addresses the impact on the community's economy, access to healthcare, and more, as well as considering possible alternatives to the traditional hospital model.
Date: 2019
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Twenty-Five Things to Know about Texas Rural Hospitals
A fact sheet describing several characteristics, concerns, and related data unique to rural hospitals in Texas.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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