Rural Hospitals – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hospitals.
April 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2025 meeting. Covers physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates; structural differences between the stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug plan (MA–PD) markets; the utilization and delivery of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits; the effect of Medicare Advantage on rural hospitals; paying for software technologies in Medicare; access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer; and regulations, star ratings, and fee-for-service Medicare policies aimed at improving nursing home quality.
Additional links: Exploring the Effect of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2025 meeting. Covers physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates; structural differences between the stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug plan (MA–PD) markets; the utilization and delivery of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits; the effect of Medicare Advantage on rural hospitals; paying for software technologies in Medicare; access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer; and regulations, star ratings, and fee-for-service Medicare policies aimed at improving nursing home quality.
Additional links: Exploring the Effect of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Landscape
Explores the current state of rural hospitals, the unique cybersecurity threats they face, and the impact of cyberattacks on rural hospitals. Discusses how technology companies can help address immediate cybersecurity risks and broader systemic challenges facing rural hospitals. Provides an overview of Microsoft's Cybersecurity for Rural Hospitals Program, including case studies and lessons learned from the program's first year.
Author(s): Erin Burchfield, Rachel Clark, Laura Kreofsky
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Microsoft
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Explores the current state of rural hospitals, the unique cybersecurity threats they face, and the impact of cyberattacks on rural hospitals. Discusses how technology companies can help address immediate cybersecurity risks and broader systemic challenges facing rural hospitals. Provides an overview of Microsoft's Cybersecurity for Rural Hospitals Program, including case studies and lessons learned from the program's first year.
Author(s): Erin Burchfield, Rachel Clark, Laura Kreofsky
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Microsoft
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The Growing Impact of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals Across America
Examines the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) on rural hospitals. Discusses payment and reimbursement, healthcare access, hospital finance and patient data, hospital case examples, and more.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Examines the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) on rural hospitals. Discusses payment and reimbursement, healthcare access, hospital finance and patient data, hospital case examples, and more.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Key Facts About Hospitals
Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care and Deteriorating Population Health Status
Examines factors contributing to the instability of the rural healthcare safety net, including policy-related reimbursement cuts and changes to payer mixes. Presents data on rural hospitals that have stopped offering obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Explores aspects of rural population health and social drivers of health as they relate to rural healthcare delivery challenges.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Examines factors contributing to the instability of the rural healthcare safety net, including policy-related reimbursement cuts and changes to payer mixes. Presents data on rural hospitals that have stopped offering obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Explores aspects of rural population health and social drivers of health as they relate to rural healthcare delivery challenges.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Medicare Advantage Penetration and the Financial Distress of Rural Hospitals
Examines county-level Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration rates and the financial impact on rural hospitals. Utilizes 2014-2020 American Hospital Association data to analyze Medicare and non-Medicare inpatient days paid by the plans, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, rural versus urban location, timing of inpatient stay, and more.
Author(s): Guido Cataife, Siying Liu
Citation: Health Economics Review, 15, 9
Date: 02/2025
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Examines county-level Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration rates and the financial impact on rural hospitals. Utilizes 2014-2020 American Hospital Association data to analyze Medicare and non-Medicare inpatient days paid by the plans, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, rural versus urban location, timing of inpatient stay, and more.
Author(s): Guido Cataife, Siying Liu
Citation: Health Economics Review, 15, 9
Date: 02/2025
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Rural Hospital Stabilization Program Introduction
A recorded webinar that provides an overview on the Rural Hospital Stabilization Program. Focuses on the program's purpose and services as well as participation eligibility and the application/selection process. Transcript available below description.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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A recorded webinar that provides an overview on the Rural Hospital Stabilization Program. Focuses on the program's purpose and services as well as participation eligibility and the application/selection process. Transcript available below description.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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February 2025 MACPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) February 2025 meeting. Covers transitions of care for children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN), hospital non-disproportionate share hospital supplemental payments and directed payment targeting, improving access to medications for opioid use disorder, healthcare access for children in foster care, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Hospital Non-DSH Supplemental Payment and Directed Payment Targeting Analyses
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) February 2025 meeting. Covers transitions of care for children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN), hospital non-disproportionate share hospital supplemental payments and directed payment targeting, improving access to medications for opioid use disorder, healthcare access for children in foster care, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Hospital Non-DSH Supplemental Payment and Directed Payment Targeting Analyses
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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146 Rural Hospitals Closed or Stopped Providing Inpatient Services from 2005 to 2023 in the United States
Line chart showing the number of rural hospital closures and rural inpatient unit closures between 2005 and 2023.
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julie Cho
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Line chart showing the number of rural hospital closures and rural inpatient unit closures between 2005 and 2023.
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julie Cho
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Improving Rural Healthcare by Creating Academic- and Nonacademic-Rural Hospital Partnerships Based on Community Health Needs Assessments and Technological Needs
Explores the effect of creating partnerships between rural and urban healthcare systems to bolster economic and technological resiliency in struggling rural hospitals. Highlights the way partnerships with academic and nonacademic urban hospitals can help rural hospitals facilitate workforce recruitment and retention, access specialty care, and improve technological access, among other factors.
Author(s): Suhas Babu, James N. Weinstein, Juan M. Lavista Ferres, William B. Weeks
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12927
Date: 01/2025
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Explores the effect of creating partnerships between rural and urban healthcare systems to bolster economic and technological resiliency in struggling rural hospitals. Highlights the way partnerships with academic and nonacademic urban hospitals can help rural hospitals facilitate workforce recruitment and retention, access specialty care, and improve technological access, among other factors.
Author(s): Suhas Babu, James N. Weinstein, Juan M. Lavista Ferres, William B. Weeks
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12927
Date: 01/2025
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