Rural Hospitals – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hospitals.
MedPAC Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, 2023
Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and profit margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and profit margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Targeted Provider Relief Funds Allocated to Hospitals Had Some Differences with Respect to the Ethnicity and Race of Populations Served
Examines how early Provider Relief Fund Targeted Distributions (Targeted PRF) in 2020 correlated with the racial, ethnic, and economic characteristics of the communities providers serve. Analyzes the Targeted PRF allocations to hospitals and explores if there are statistically significant correlations between PRF per person and the racial, ethnic, and economic composition of the census tracts. Covers four Targeted PRF allocations to COVID-19 High Impact Area Hospitals, Safety Net Hospitals, Rural Hospitals, and Indian Health Service and Tribal Hospitals. Identifies and describes trends in the allotment to rural hospitals.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Examines how early Provider Relief Fund Targeted Distributions (Targeted PRF) in 2020 correlated with the racial, ethnic, and economic characteristics of the communities providers serve. Analyzes the Targeted PRF allocations to hospitals and explores if there are statistically significant correlations between PRF per person and the racial, ethnic, and economic composition of the census tracts. Covers four Targeted PRF allocations to COVID-19 High Impact Area Hospitals, Safety Net Hospitals, Rural Hospitals, and Indian Health Service and Tribal Hospitals. Identifies and describes trends in the allotment to rural hospitals.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Early Financial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Hospitals
Examines how hospital profitability changed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the association between COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations and county-level variables to operating margins (OMs) and total margins (TMs). Presents data by hospital characteristics, including size and Critical Access Hospital status, and compares findings from urban and rural hospitals.
Author(s): Kate Li, Mona Al-Amin, Michael D. Rosko
Citation: Journal of Healthcare Management, 68(4), 268-283
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
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Examines how hospital profitability changed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the association between COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations and county-level variables to operating margins (OMs) and total margins (TMs). Presents data by hospital characteristics, including size and Critical Access Hospital status, and compares findings from urban and rural hospitals.
Author(s): Kate Li, Mona Al-Amin, Michael D. Rosko
Citation: Journal of Healthcare Management, 68(4), 268-283
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
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COVID-19 Hospital Encounters by Urban-Rural Location of the Hospital by Week From Selected Hospitals
Line chart showing hospitals' percentage of confirmed COVID-19 encounters among all emergency department or inpatient encounters. Includes data from March 2020 through December 2022 for large central and fringe metro areas, medium and small metro areas, and rural areas.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Line chart showing hospitals' percentage of confirmed COVID-19 encounters among all emergency department or inpatient encounters. Includes data from March 2020 through December 2022 for large central and fringe metro areas, medium and small metro areas, and rural areas.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Provision of Social Care Services by US Hospitals
Explores the extent to which social care services are provided by hospitals. Analyzes data from the 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey and Community Benefit Insight to identify the number and type of social care services provided by hospitals. Examines whether community and hospital characteristics, including bed size, system affiliation, rurality, neighborhood median income, and state community benefit requirements, are associated with these services.
Author(s): Bradley Iott, Denise Anthony
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly, 101(2), 601-635
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Explores the extent to which social care services are provided by hospitals. Analyzes data from the 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey and Community Benefit Insight to identify the number and type of social care services provided by hospitals. Examines whether community and hospital characteristics, including bed size, system affiliation, rurality, neighborhood median income, and state community benefit requirements, are associated with these services.
Author(s): Bradley Iott, Denise Anthony
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly, 101(2), 601-635
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Urban-Rural Disparities in Interfacility Transfers for Children During COVID-19
Presents a study on the rates of rural and urban pediatric interfacility transfers (IFTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compares IFT rates from before the pandemic. Breaks down rural and urban data by medical complexity, transfer type, and census region, among other measures.
Author(s): Corrie E. McDaniel, DO,1,2 JoAnna K. Leyenaar, MD, PhD, MPH,3,4 Mersine A. Bryan, et al
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 611-616
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Presents a study on the rates of rural and urban pediatric interfacility transfers (IFTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compares IFT rates from before the pandemic. Breaks down rural and urban data by medical complexity, transfer type, and census region, among other measures.
Author(s): Corrie E. McDaniel, DO,1,2 JoAnna K. Leyenaar, MD, PhD, MPH,3,4 Mersine A. Bryan, et al
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 611-616
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Hospital Closures: 2023 Update
Summarizes recent research from Rural Health Research Centers examining hospital closures. Features statistics including number of acute hospitals as of 2020 with breakdowns by type and location, rural hospital closures from 2005-2022 with breakdowns by isolated rural, small rural, and large rural location, and numbers of closures by year from 2005-2022 with breakdowns by complete or converted closures.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Summarizes recent research from Rural Health Research Centers examining hospital closures. Features statistics including number of acute hospitals as of 2020 with breakdowns by type and location, rural hospital closures from 2005-2022 with breakdowns by isolated rural, small rural, and large rural location, and numbers of closures by year from 2005-2022 with breakdowns by complete or converted closures.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural Hospitals and the New Rural Emergency Hospital Designation
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Janice Walters, Chief Operating Officer for the Rural Health Redesign Center, home of the Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center. Offers an overview of Medicare's Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, which became available on January 1, 2023.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Janice Walters, Chief Operating Officer for the Rural Health Redesign Center, home of the Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center. Offers an overview of Medicare's Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, which became available on January 1, 2023.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Factors Associated with Lengths-of-Stay for Inpatients with Substance Use Disorders
Policy brief identifying factors associated with inpatient length-of-stay (LOS) for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) and exploring whether there are systematic differences in LOS for rural and urban residents. Includes statistics on characteristics of stays for a primary SUD diagnosis in Kentucky, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington in 2018, with breakdowns by Mental Health Professional Shortage Area and rural or urban location, and selected factors on LOS for an SUD diagnosis, with breakdowns by mental diagnoses, chronic conditions, and socio-demographic measures.
Author(s): Curt Mueller, Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Alana Knudson
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Equity Research Center
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Policy brief identifying factors associated with inpatient length-of-stay (LOS) for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) and exploring whether there are systematic differences in LOS for rural and urban residents. Includes statistics on characteristics of stays for a primary SUD diagnosis in Kentucky, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington in 2018, with breakdowns by Mental Health Professional Shortage Area and rural or urban location, and selected factors on LOS for an SUD diagnosis, with breakdowns by mental diagnoses, chronic conditions, and socio-demographic measures.
Author(s): Curt Mueller, Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Alana Knudson
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Equity Research Center
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Closed, Converted, Merged, and New Hospitals with Medicare Rural Designations: January 2018-November 2022
Provides an overview of four Medicare rural hospital designations - Critical Access Hospital, Low-Volume Hospital, Medicare Dependent Hospital, and Sole Community Hospital - and factors related to financial distress that these designations are intended to address. Explores the number of rural-designated hospitals that have closed, merged, converted, or opened between January 2018-November 2022 and compares the number of rural-designated hospitals with the number of non-designated hospitals. Outlines considerations for Congress regarding policy options for rural hospitals and access to healthcare services in rural areas.
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of four Medicare rural hospital designations - Critical Access Hospital, Low-Volume Hospital, Medicare Dependent Hospital, and Sole Community Hospital - and factors related to financial distress that these designations are intended to address. Explores the number of rural-designated hospitals that have closed, merged, converted, or opened between January 2018-November 2022 and compares the number of rural-designated hospitals with the number of non-designated hospitals. Outlines considerations for Congress regarding policy options for rural hospitals and access to healthcare services in rural areas.
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Last Updated: 6/3/2024