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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

The First Year of Rural Emergency Hospitals: REHs Serve Relatively Disadvantaged Counties
Findings brief examining the kinds of communities with hospitals that converted to Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) in 2023. Features demographics and statistics including breakdown by rural location.
Author(s): Young Kim, Julie Perry, Kristie Thompson, George Pink
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Demographic-Based Disparities in Outcomes for Adults with Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in the United States: A National Inpatient Sample Database Study (2016–2020)
Analyzes cost, length of stay, and mortality for hospitalized adults with central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), utilizing 2016-2020 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. Provides data on differences in care conditions by race and ethnicity, region, and rural versus urban location and teaching versus non-teaching hospital status.
Author(s): Marie Dix, Troy Belleville, Anjali Mishra, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Medicine, 11
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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News Media Coverage of Rural Hospital Closures and the Causes
Reports findings from attributed causes of rural hospital closures through analysis of news media reports. Features statistics on attributed causes for closures, from a sample of 137 closures between 2010-2022.
Author(s): Harini Somanchi, Julie Perry, Kristie Thompson, George Pink
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural Hospital Service Lines: Changes Over Time and Impacts on Profitability
Analyzes associations between changes in service lines and profitability at rural hospitals, utilizing 2010-2021 Medicare cost report data. Includes data on service lines including Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), traditional clinics, CT scans, MRI scans, delivery rooms, nurseries, anesthesiology, electrocardiology, and more.
Author(s): Brian E. Whitacre, Claudia A. Rhodes, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Journal of Healthcare Management, 69(5), 350-367
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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An Updated Model of Rural Hospital Financial Distress
Discusses a potential model to predict financial distress in rural hospitals, including negative cash flow margin, negative equity, or closure of facility. Tests 2,311 rural hospitals from 2013 to 2019 with the model and discusses its potential to predict financial distress and create accurate assessments.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, George H. Pink, George M. Holmes
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Younger and Rural Children are More Likely to be Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Infections
Examines patient characteristics and likelihood of hospitalization among children with SARS-CoV-2, utilizing May 2020-April 2022 Arkansas Children's Hospital data. Analyzes hospitalization rates during each wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with demographic data breakdowns, including comparisons between rural and urban children.
Author(s): Rebecca M. Cantu, Sara C. Sanders, Grace A. Turner, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(10), e0308221
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Health Care Transparency: CMS Needs More Information on Hospital Pricing Data Completeness and Accuracy
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital price transparency requirements before and after 2024 updates to the requirements. Describes users' experiences with hospital pricing data before the 2024 updates. Examines CMS's enforcement of hospital price transparency requirements and offers recommendations to CMS regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the data reported. Table 3 compares CMS enforcement actions by hospitals' rural or urban designation between 2021 and 2023.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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One or Two Health Systems Controlled the Entire Market for Inpatient Hospital Care in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas in 2022
Examines the competitiveness of hospital markets in 2022 by analyzing RAND Hospital Data and American Hospital Association (AHA) survey data. Presents data on the share of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) controlled by a small number of health systems, the level of market concentration in MSAs, and the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems over time. Compares the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems in rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Model Frequently Asked Questions
Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. Covers general information, Conditions of Participation, and REH payment policies.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Mathematica, Rural Health Redesign Center
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Medicare Payment Basics: Outpatient Hospital Services Payment System
Outlines Medicare's payments for outpatient hospital services, including considerations for rural sole community hospitals.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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