Rural Hospitals – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hospitals.
Analysis: Hospitals and Health Systems Are Critical to Preserving Access to Care for Rural Communities
Provides information on how hospitals provide access to healthcare for rural communities, with a focus on hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). Includes data related to rural physician practice acquisitions, rural outpatient visits to an HOPD, Medicaid eligibility, and more.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Provides information on how hospitals provide access to healthcare for rural communities, with a focus on hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). Includes data related to rural physician practice acquisitions, rural outpatient visits to an HOPD, Medicaid eligibility, and more.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Hospital Financing: Volume Limits and Reporting Could Help Manage Risks of Expanding FHA's Mortgage Insurance Program
Describes the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program, which insures loans for capital improvements at hospitals; loans insured through the program between 2000 and 2022. Explores characteristics of hospitals ineligible for the program that may impact their financing options. Examines the potential effects and risks of extending Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program eligibility to currently ineligible hospital types on program participation risks. Offers recommendations to Congress if it decides to expand program eligibility to hospitals that primarily provide non-acute care services.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Describes the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program, which insures loans for capital improvements at hospitals; loans insured through the program between 2000 and 2022. Explores characteristics of hospitals ineligible for the program that may impact their financing options. Examines the potential effects and risks of extending Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program eligibility to currently ineligible hospital types on program participation risks. Offers recommendations to Congress if it decides to expand program eligibility to hospitals that primarily provide non-acute care services.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
A Comparison of 2017-19 Uncompensated Care of Rural and Urban Hospitals by Net Patient Revenue, System Affiliation, and Ownership
Examines the association between uncompensated care and three factors - net patient revenue, system affiliation, and ownership - using Medicare Cost Report data from 2017-2019. Compares rates of uncompensated care as a percentage of operating expenses across Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals, and urban PPS hospitals.
Author(s): Emmaline Keesee, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie Thompson, George Pink
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Examines the association between uncompensated care and three factors - net patient revenue, system affiliation, and ownership - using Medicare Cost Report data from 2017-2019. Compares rates of uncompensated care as a percentage of operating expenses across Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals, and urban PPS hospitals.
Author(s): Emmaline Keesee, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie Thompson, George Pink
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapter 4 - Part B Hospital (Including Inpatient Hospital Part B and OPPS)
Outlines rules and regulations for processing Medicare Part B hospital claims. Covers special rules for Critical Access Hospital outpatient billing, hospital-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) billing for non-RHC/FQHC services, and payment adjustments for Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs).
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Outlines rules and regulations for processing Medicare Part B hospital claims. Covers special rules for Critical Access Hospital outpatient billing, hospital-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) billing for non-RHC/FQHC services, and payment adjustments for Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs).
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
U.S. Hospital List (2023)
Excel file providing a comprehensive list of urban and rural U.S. hospitals that were reported open as of January 1, 2023. Includes 4,518 acute care hospitals and 1,422 specialty hospitals.
Date: 2024
Type: Directory
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Excel file providing a comprehensive list of urban and rural U.S. hospitals that were reported open as of January 1, 2023. Includes 4,518 acute care hospitals and 1,422 specialty hospitals.
Date: 2024
Type: Directory
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Final Frontier: IPC Challenges in Rural Health Care
Podcast interview with Dr. Michael Stevens, West Virginia University Health System's Healthcare Epidemiologist. Addresses difficulty in accessing mentoring in infection prevention and control (IPC) in rural facilities, and disconnects between local needs and upper-level mandates. Includes transcript.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organizations: American Medical Association, CDC's Project Firstline
view details
Podcast interview with Dr. Michael Stevens, West Virginia University Health System's Healthcare Epidemiologist. Addresses difficulty in accessing mentoring in infection prevention and control (IPC) in rural facilities, and disconnects between local needs and upper-level mandates. Includes transcript.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organizations: American Medical Association, CDC's Project Firstline
view details
Rural America's OB Deserts Widen in Fallout From Pandemic
Explores the loss of obstetrics services in rural communities since 2011. Presents data on the number and percentage of rural hospitals that discontinued obstetrics services between 2011 and 2021. Discusses the impact of the loss of these services on maternal and infant health.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
view details
Explores the loss of obstetrics services in rural communities since 2011. Presents data on the number and percentage of rural hospitals that discontinued obstetrics services between 2011 and 2021. Discusses the impact of the loss of these services on maternal and infant health.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
view details
Policy Solutions Addressing Psychiatric Boarding of Rural Youth
Policy position paper regarding psychiatric boarding - holding patients in an emergency department after the decision to admit or transfer has been made, but no beds are available - of rural children and adolescents. Describes recent trends in pediatric psychiatric boarding in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to reduce boarding times and improve mental health outcomes in rural communities.
Author(s): Amah Riley, Jonathan Updike, Lauren Wood
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Policy position paper regarding psychiatric boarding - holding patients in an emergency department after the decision to admit or transfer has been made, but no beds are available - of rural children and adolescents. Describes recent trends in pediatric psychiatric boarding in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to reduce boarding times and improve mental health outcomes in rural communities.
Author(s): Amah Riley, Jonathan Updike, Lauren Wood
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Fast Facts: U.S. Rural Hospitals, 2023
Infographic presenting data on rural hospitals using the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey Database for fiscal years 2017 through 2021. Includes information on the declining number of community hospitals nationwide and data on rural community hospitals by ownership type and number of beds.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Infographic presenting data on rural hospitals using the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey Database for fiscal years 2017 through 2021. Includes information on the declining number of community hospitals nationwide and data on rural community hospitals by ownership type and number of beds.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
A National Staffing Emergency in Rural Health Care
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with three rural hospital executives from Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan regarding workforce shortages in rural hospitals. Describes factors driving workforce challenges; recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies; approaches to introducing healthcare careers to youth and the community; and the role of technology in meeting healthcare needs.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with three rural hospital executives from Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan regarding workforce shortages in rural hospitals. Describes factors driving workforce challenges; recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies; approaches to introducing healthcare careers to youth and the community; and the role of technology in meeting healthcare needs.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 4/11/2024