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Survival Versus Scale: The Effects of Critical Access Hospital Designation

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Description
Explores whether designation-based hospital subsidies, specifically the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program, preserve meaningful access to care. Describes the effects of CAH designation on hospital finances, capacity, and organizational outcomes between 1995-2010. Discusses the implications of hospital preservation and reduced operational scale on access to care and patient health.
Author(s)
Ian M. McCarthy, Katie Leinenbach
Date
10/2026
Organization
National Bureau of Economic Research
Tagged as
Access · Critical Access Hospitals · Healthcare business and finance · Hospitals · Policy · Reimbursement and payment models · Statistics and data