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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Medical Debt and Its Impact on Rural Patients and Providers, with Carrie Henning-Smith
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carrie Henning-Smith, Co-Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on the prevalence of and difficulties caused by medical debt for both rural patients and providers.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Implementation of the Acute Inpatient Medicine—High Reliability, Learning Environment, and Workforce Development Initiative (AIM-HI) in Rural Veterans Health Administration Hospitals: A Mixed Methods Evaluation Protocol
Details a study on the efficacy of a workforce training and development initiative implemented in several rural Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Discusses the High Reliability, Leaning Environment, and Workforce Development Initiative (AIM-HI) and explores outcomes in terms of job satisfaction, burnout, turnover, and retention of rural VHA workforce, among other measures.
Author(s): Heather M. Gilmartin, Brigid Connelly, Marguerite Daus, et al.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Medicine, 20(1), 33-41
Date: 01/2025
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South Dakota Critical Access Hospitals
County-level map of South Dakota showing locations of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: South Dakota Office of Rural Health
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Illinois Homelessness Mortality and Morbidity Report 2017-2023
Provides a statistical overview of homelessness in Illinois from 2017-2023, with a focus on mortality, morbidity, and hospital utilization. Includes data by Illinois region and rural versus urban county, as well as by population groups, such as veterans, widows, rural residents, and more.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Fact Sheet
Author(s): Dana Madigan, Jerrilyn Cambron, Lee Friedman, et al.
Date: 2025
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Strategies for Cyber Preparedness in Health Care
A set of practical strategies to help healthcare organizations prepare for and manage cybersecurity risks. Covers cybersecurity as a core aspect of enterprise risk management, how to prepare the workforce, planning for clinical continuity, third-party risk assessment, and regional planning and collaboration.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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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
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Cumulative Disadvantages in Nursing Home COVID-19 Infections and Deaths: Implications of Ownership Status and Location
Explores how nursing home characteristics are related to different health outcomes and susceptibility to momentary threats in the environment, such as nursing home and community COVID-19 infection rates and staffing shortages. Compares nursing home COVID-19 infection and mortality rates by facilities' profit status and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Sungjae Hong, Shannon T. Mejia
Citation: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 137, 105918
Date: 2025
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Comparing Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography Machine Accessibility Among Urban and Rural County Hospitals in Wisconsin
Examines radiologic services in hospitals and disparities in access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) machines in rural versus urban Wisconsin hospitals. Provides data on rural and urban counties in Wisconsin, including population, county square miles, available MRI and CT machines, and person to MRI/CT ratios. Includes maps showing county-level access to radiologic services as well as comparisons across Wisconsin's rural and urban counties, all Wisconsin counties, and all U.S. counties.
Author(s): Benjamin Burdorf, William MacDonald, Pravallika Kesarla, Samantha Burdorf
Citation: Wisconsin Medical Journal, 124(3), 243-248
Date: 2025
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U.S. Hospital List (2024)
Excel file providing a comprehensive list of urban and rural U.S. hospitals that were reported open as of January 1, 2024. Includes 4,497 acute care hospitals and 1,457 specialty hospitals.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating: Overview for Flex Programs, Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Stakeholders
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Hospital Star Ratings posted on the CMS Care Compare website. Describes the methodology for the Overall Hospital Star Ratings, including information on measure selection, measure grouping, measure group scores and hospital scoring, and peer grouping and star rating assignment. Discusses the implications these ratings have on Critical Access Hospitals and other small rural hospitals.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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