Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services
Spatial and Temporal Trends of Access to Birthing Hospitals in Illinois, 2016–2021
Explores changes in travel time to obstetric care between 2016 and 2021 in Illinois at the census tract level, using Illinois Department of Public Health and American Community Survey data. Provides data on access to care by rural or urban dwelling, among other demographic comparisons.
Author(s): Mechelle D. Claridy, Barbara Chebet Keino, Lauren M. Ramsey, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 23
Date: 08/2026
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Explores changes in travel time to obstetric care between 2016 and 2021 in Illinois at the census tract level, using Illinois Department of Public Health and American Community Survey data. Provides data on access to care by rural or urban dwelling, among other demographic comparisons.
Author(s): Mechelle D. Claridy, Barbara Chebet Keino, Lauren M. Ramsey, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 23
Date: 08/2026
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Rural Hospitals in Pennsylvania in the Context of Healthcare Market Consolidations
Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S. 2026
Reports on maternal healthcare access and provides data on maternity care deserts, distribution of OB providers, and travel time to maternity care, including color-coded, county-level maps. Includes rural versus urban data comparisons of maternal health workforce availability, travel distance to care, and labor and delivery unit closures, and discusses efforts to address rural shortages, including the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Reports on maternal healthcare access and provides data on maternity care deserts, distribution of OB providers, and travel time to maternity care, including color-coded, county-level maps. Includes rural versus urban data comparisons of maternal health workforce availability, travel distance to care, and labor and delivery unit closures, and discusses efforts to address rural shortages, including the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Rural Hospital Financial Performance: Tools for Data-Driven Decision Making
Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the North Carolina Rural Health Research Center discussing two data-driven tools, the Rural Hospital Financial Performance Dashboard and the Hospital Financial Distress Index, that can provide valuable insights into the financial health of rural hospitals.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the North Carolina Rural Health Research Center discussing two data-driven tools, the Rural Hospital Financial Performance Dashboard and the Hospital Financial Distress Index, that can provide valuable insights into the financial health of rural hospitals.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Structural Vulnerability in the United States Radiation Oncology Delivery System: Predictors and Consequences of Practice Site Disappearance
Examines the impact of radiation oncology (RO) practice site disappearance on treatment capacity in U.S. counties. Utilizes 2018-2025 data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services National Downloadable File to analyze RO practice sites according to urban, rural-adjacent, or rural-nonadjacent county location, hospital affiliation, and county sociodemographics. Includes county-level U.S. map showing RO site growth, loss, or stability.
Author(s): Catherine Yu, Sifan Grace Lu, Danielle Arons, Jared P. Rowley, Kunal K. Sindhu
Citation: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics
Date: 07/2026
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Examines the impact of radiation oncology (RO) practice site disappearance on treatment capacity in U.S. counties. Utilizes 2018-2025 data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services National Downloadable File to analyze RO practice sites according to urban, rural-adjacent, or rural-nonadjacent county location, hospital affiliation, and county sociodemographics. Includes county-level U.S. map showing RO site growth, loss, or stability.
Author(s): Catherine Yu, Sifan Grace Lu, Danielle Arons, Jared P. Rowley, Kunal K. Sindhu
Citation: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics
Date: 07/2026
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MedPAC Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, 2026
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 Medicare and operating margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures and Rural Emergency Hospital conversions.
Date: 07/2026
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 Medicare and operating margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures and Rural Emergency Hospital conversions.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Travel Time to Delivery Facilities for Arkansas Mothers
Infographic on travel times to maternal care services in Arkansas and the impact of labor and delivery unit closures on access to care. Includes comparisons between 2019 and 2024 at the state level, and provides data on median minutes traveled to delivery facilities by county.
Author(s): Jennifer Wessel
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Infographic on travel times to maternal care services in Arkansas and the impact of labor and delivery unit closures on access to care. Includes comparisons between 2019 and 2024 at the state level, and provides data on median minutes traveled to delivery facilities by county.
Author(s): Jennifer Wessel
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Hospital Closures Increase Emergency Care Travel Time: Rural-Urban Disparities
Examines the relationship between travel time to emergency care and hospital closures. Utilizes data from 2012-2023 hospital closures in Texas and analyzes 6,883 census tracts according to travel time to the nearest and second nearest emergency department (ED), with additional breakdowns by population characteristics and geographic categories of metro, micro, small town, or rural.
Author(s): Huiwen Zheng, Scott Horel, Christine Crudo Blackburn
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63
Date: 06/2026
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Examines the relationship between travel time to emergency care and hospital closures. Utilizes data from 2012-2023 hospital closures in Texas and analyzes 6,883 census tracts according to travel time to the nearest and second nearest emergency department (ED), with additional breakdowns by population characteristics and geographic categories of metro, micro, small town, or rural.
Author(s): Huiwen Zheng, Scott Horel, Christine Crudo Blackburn
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63
Date: 06/2026
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Why Are Rural Hospitals Closing in the U.S.? Predictors Identified Using Explainable Machine Learning
Examines rural hospital closures in the U.S. from 2011 to 2022. Utilizes national longitudinal data and explainable machine learning (XML) to analyze 2,683 rural hospitals according to financial, operational, and demographic characteristics as well as closure risks. Discusses the utility of longitudinal data integrated into XML to observe hospital trends and create early warning systems.
Author(s): Kiruthika Balakrishnan, Tesfamariam M. Abuhay, Hana E. Hinkle
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 26, 1049
Date: 05/2026
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Examines rural hospital closures in the U.S. from 2011 to 2022. Utilizes national longitudinal data and explainable machine learning (XML) to analyze 2,683 rural hospitals according to financial, operational, and demographic characteristics as well as closure risks. Discusses the utility of longitudinal data integrated into XML to observe hospital trends and create early warning systems.
Author(s): Kiruthika Balakrishnan, Tesfamariam M. Abuhay, Hana E. Hinkle
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 26, 1049
Date: 05/2026
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Changes in Staffing, Resident Health, Closure, and Financial Performance of Rural Nursing Homes from 2017 to 2022
Examines changes in various characteristics of nursing homes, using data from 2017-2022. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and small/isolated rural areas.
Author(s): Gulrukh Mehboob, Hari Sharma, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Examines changes in various characteristics of nursing homes, using data from 2017-2022. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and small/isolated rural areas.
Author(s): Gulrukh Mehboob, Hari Sharma, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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