Rural Hospitals – Resources

Engaging Your Board and Community in Value-Based Care Conversations
Provides starting points for healthcare organizations to engage in value-based care conversations with their board and community members to support strategic planning and informed decision-making.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Understanding CMS' Changes to Hospital Overall Star Ratings
Summarizes an analysis of the effects of methodological changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings system. Compares hospital star ratings in 2020 and 2021 and examines differences in ratings by hospital characteristics. Explores the equitability of the ratings by peer groups. Highlights challenges to comparing the ratings of small hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals. Provides recommendations for CMS to improve the equity of the star ratings.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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County-Level Availability of Obstetric Care and Economic Implications of Hospital Closures on Obstetric Care
Policy brief providing data on the economic changes in counties that lost obstetric care facilities between 2012-2019. Describes demographic and economic differences between counties with or without obstetric care facilities. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location and a county-level map with shadings showing availability of obstetric services and hospital closures from 2012-2019.
Author(s): Andrew L. Owen, Alison Davis, Simona Balazs
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Risk of Closure Among Independent and Multihospital-Affiliated Rural Hospitals
Study examining the risk of rural hospital closure for independent hospitals and hospitals affiliated with other facilities or a health system. Analyzes 2007-2019 data from the American Hospital Association, Irving Levin Associates, and the University of North Carolina Sheps Center representing a national cohort of rural hospitals. Notes financial stability for affiliated and independent hospitals as well as policy interventions to support hospitals at risk of closure.
Author(s): H. Joanna Jiang, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, Rachel Mosher Henke
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 3(7), e221835
Date: 07/2022
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The Economic Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
Examines the impact of a rural hospital closure on local economic outcomes. Compares economic changes in nonmetro counties experiencing a hospital closure between 2001 and 2018 to changes in a control group of nonmetro counties. Presents data on the effects of rural hospital closures on annual income, population size, unemployment, and labor force size overall and by closure type and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and Prospective Payment System (PPS) status.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Arrianna Marie Planey, Laura B. Bozovich, Kristie W. Thompson, George M. Holmes
Citation: Health Services Research, 57(3), 614-623
Date: 06/2022
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Higher Electronic Health Record Functionality Is Associated with Lower Operating Costs in Urban—but Not Rural—Hospitals
Explores the relationship between electronic health record (EHR) use and functionality and hospital operating costs. Examines the effects of different categories of EHR functionality on general, inpatient, and outpatient costs. Compares the relationship between EHR functionality and operating costs across urban and rural hospitals.
Author(s): Claudia A. Rhoades, Brian E. Whitacre, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Applied Clinical Informatics, 13(3), 665-676
Date: 05/2022
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Rx for the Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care
Podcast with Tom Morris of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy about trends related to the rural healthcare workforce and efforts to overcome challenges. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospital closures, telehealth, graduate medical education in rural areas, community health workers and community paramedics, funding opportunities to promote healthcare access in rural areas, the opioid crisis, and more.
Author(s): Jessica Nicholson
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: The Conference Board
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COVID-19 and Hospital Financial Viability in the US
Results of a study comparing operating and profit margins from 2016-2019 at 2,163 hospitals across the country to margins during the first year of the pandemic. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas.
Author(s): Yang Wang, Ge Bai, Gerard Anderson
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 3(5)
Date: 05/2022
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Rural Hospital Profitability during the Global COVID-19 Pandemic Requires Careful Interpretation
Findings brief describing the trend of rural hospital profitability in 2011-19 and explaining why possible increases in reported profitability during the pandemic (2020-21) may mask the long-term financial challenges of rural hospitals. Features statistics including median total margin of all rural hospitals and percentage of rural hospitals with a total negative margin by year from 2011-2021, and estimated distribution of provider relief funding to hospitals as of February 2021, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Mark Holmes
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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"It's the Relationships": Q&A with Peggy Broussard Wheeler
An interview with Peggy Broussard Wheeler, Vice President of Policy at the California Hospital Association. Covers the challenges rural hospitals face during the pandemic, health equity efforts, workforce issues, and more. Discusses how rural hospitals work together to address concerns.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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