Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals
2023 Health Professional Underserved Areas Report: Kansas Primary Care and Rural Health
Features information on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) in Kansas. Discusses healthcare workforce recruitment and retention as well as rural hospital programs during 2023. Provides county-level data and maps on Primary Care, Mental, and Dental HPSAs. Includes a table classifying counties as urban, semi-urban, densely-settled rural, rural, or frontier.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
view details
Features information on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) in Kansas. Discusses healthcare workforce recruitment and retention as well as rural hospital programs during 2023. Provides county-level data and maps on Primary Care, Mental, and Dental HPSAs. Includes a table classifying counties as urban, semi-urban, densely-settled rural, rural, or frontier.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
view details
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, 41(2)
Date: 2025
view details
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, 41(2)
Date: 2025
view details
Rural Hospitals: Community Cornerstones Facing Perilous Threats to Care
Infographic presenting data regarding the importance of rural hospitals to their communities. Includes information on workforce and financial challenges experienced by rural hospitals, as well as the impact of hospital closures on access to care. Provides recommendations on actions to support rural hospitals and communities.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Infographic presenting data regarding the importance of rural hospitals to their communities. Includes information on workforce and financial challenges experienced by rural hospitals, as well as the impact of hospital closures on access to care. Provides recommendations on actions to support rural hospitals and communities.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Roadmap to Strong Rural Health Care
Provides information on sustaining rural hospitals and clinics, growing the rural healthcare workforce in Nebraska, improving long-term care, improving rural well-being and mental health, supporting rural mothers, addressing the social determinants of health, and preserving emergency medical services, among other topics related to rural healthcare in Nebraska.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organizations: Nebraska Hospital Association, Nebraska Rural Health Association
view details
Provides information on sustaining rural hospitals and clinics, growing the rural healthcare workforce in Nebraska, improving long-term care, improving rural well-being and mental health, supporting rural mothers, addressing the social determinants of health, and preserving emergency medical services, among other topics related to rural healthcare in Nebraska.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organizations: Nebraska Hospital Association, Nebraska Rural Health Association
view details
Obstetric Care Access at Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States
Offers data showing losses and gains of obstetric care for 4,964 short-term acute care hospitals between 2010 and 2022. Offers comparisons of rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, et al.
Date: 12/2024
view details
Offers data showing losses and gains of obstetric care for 4,964 short-term acute care hospitals between 2010 and 2022. Offers comparisons of rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, et al.
Date: 12/2024
view details
Texas Medicaid and CHIP Reference Guide: Fifteenth Edition
Reference guide for aspects of Texas's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs, including caseload and costs, eligibility and enrollment, available services, program administration, and quality of care. Features information on rural-specific policies for reimbursement, time and distance standards, the Rural Access to Primary Care and Preventive Services Program, rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
view details
Reference guide for aspects of Texas's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs, including caseload and costs, eligibility and enrollment, available services, program administration, and quality of care. Features information on rural-specific policies for reimbursement, time and distance standards, the Rural Access to Primary Care and Preventive Services Program, rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
view details
Financial Performance Gaps Between Critical Access Hospitals and Other Acute Care Hospitals
Research letter examining how system affiliation impacted hospital financial measures for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and non-CAHs between 2020 and 2022.
Author(s): Christopher Whaley, Marilyn Bartlett, Ge Bai
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(12)
Date: 12/2024
view details
Research letter examining how system affiliation impacted hospital financial measures for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and non-CAHs between 2020 and 2022.
Author(s): Christopher Whaley, Marilyn Bartlett, Ge Bai
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(12)
Date: 12/2024
view details
Medicare Could save Billions with Comparable Access for Enrollees If Critical Access Hospital Payments for Swing-Bed Services Were Similar to Those of the Fee-for-Service Prospective Payment System
Describes the use of swing beds for skilled nursing services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and average daily Medicare reimbursement for these services from 2015 through 2020. Examines data from a sample of 100 CAHs to determine whether Medicare enrollees would have had access to the same skilled nursing services provided by CAHs at alternative facilities within a 35-mile driving distance. Compares the average daily reimbursement for skilled nursing services at CAHs and alternative facilities, as well as the potential savings to Medicare if CAHs were reimbursed for skilled nursing services under the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS).
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
Describes the use of swing beds for skilled nursing services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and average daily Medicare reimbursement for these services from 2015 through 2020. Examines data from a sample of 100 CAHs to determine whether Medicare enrollees would have had access to the same skilled nursing services provided by CAHs at alternative facilities within a 35-mile driving distance. Compares the average daily reimbursement for skilled nursing services at CAHs and alternative facilities, as well as the potential savings to Medicare if CAHs were reimbursed for skilled nursing services under the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS).
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
Mapping Geographic Access to Illinois Birthing Hospitals, 2016–2023
Examines geographic access to birthing hospitals between 2016 to 2023 for women of reproductive age in Illinois. Includes maps showing driving times to hospitals and closed hospitals in the state, as well as changing levels of access for rural and urban women.
Author(s): Barbara C. Keino, Mechelle D. Claridy, Laurin Kasehagen, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 12/2024
view details
Examines geographic access to birthing hospitals between 2016 to 2023 for women of reproductive age in Illinois. Includes maps showing driving times to hospitals and closed hospitals in the state, as well as changing levels of access for rural and urban women.
Author(s): Barbara C. Keino, Mechelle D. Claridy, Laurin Kasehagen, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 12/2024
view details
Suicide Care in Kentucky Hospitals
Provides an overview of suicide-related visits in Kentucky hospitals and emergency departments, recent changes, and patient demographics. Features statistics including percentages of suicide-related visits in 2017-2023 in rural and urban Kentucky hospitals, and a county-level map showing locations of psychiatric hospitals.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky Hospital Association
view details
Provides an overview of suicide-related visits in Kentucky hospitals and emergency departments, recent changes, and patient demographics. Features statistics including percentages of suicide-related visits in 2017-2023 in rural and urban Kentucky hospitals, and a county-level map showing locations of psychiatric hospitals.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky Hospital Association
view details