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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services

The Rural Health Safety Net Under Pressure: Rural Hospital Vulnerability
Examines financial and operational metrics for closed hospitals in the 36 months prior to closure. Identifies 453 rural facilities vulnerable to closure and the performance variables that have the greatest impact on a facility's likelihood of closure.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Medicare: Information on Medicare-Dependent Hospitals
Provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. Discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time. Examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Nursing Home Closures and Trends: June 2015 - June 2019
Provides an overview of the causes and implications of 500 nursing home closures between June 2015 and June 2019. Examines the geographic distribution of these closures, including states in which closures are concentrated in rural areas. Explores nursing home closures in relation to occupancy rates, quality ratings, tax status, and the impact of Medicaid payment policies. Offers recommendations for policymakers and nursing homes.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: LeadingAge
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Rural Health Predictions: Q&A with Alan Morgan
An interview with National Rural Health Association (NRHA) CEO Alan Morgan. Focuses on NRHA's work on rural health issues and shares rural health predictions for 2020.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Addressing Factors that Affect Health Care Costs: Recommendations for Indiana Stakeholders
Highlights the factors affecting healthcare costs in Indiana and makes recommendations to healthcare stakeholders, such as providers, policymakers, and consumers. Presents 16 factors that contribute to healthcare costs and discusses rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Nir Menachemi, Paul Halverson
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Policy, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
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Vermont Rural Health Services Task Force: Act 26 of 2019, Report and Recommendations
Report details Vermont's rural healthcare delivery system. Highlights the financial, administrative, and workforce barriers that rural facilities face and suggests ways the state can overcome those barriers.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Health Services Task Force, State of Vermont: Green Mountain Care Board
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Texas Rural Acute Care Hospital Closures
Identifies rural hospital closures by year and county for Texas between 1965-2018. Includes notes on whether they later reopened with full or partial services.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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Striving for Birth Equity: Family Medicine's Role in Overcoming Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
Policy position paper examining disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, and offering recommendations for ways in which family physicians, educators, and policy makers can facilitate and advocate for change. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Family Physicians
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The Rural Hospital Stabilization Program: A Comprehensive Report
Provides an overview of the first three years of the Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant Program for rural Georgia hospitals. Describes grant-funded projects and evaluates the sustainability of these projects after funding ceased. Includes a financial analysis of participating hospitals before and after receiving grant funds.
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Georgia Department of Community Health, Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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Rural Hospitals: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Describes the conditions facing rural hospitals and their communities contributing to the high rate of rural hospital closure. Discusses state and federal legislation, policies, and programs developed to support rural hospitals. Provides data for 15 Southern states including their state and rural populations, percentage of population uninsured, Medicaid expansion status, percentage at high financial risk, and number of rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Nick Bowman
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments
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