Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Risk of Closure Among Independent and Multihospital-Affiliated Rural Hospitals
Study examining the risk of rural hospital closure for independent hospitals and hospitals affiliated with other facilities or a health system. Analyzes 2007-2019 data from the American Hospital Association, Irving Levin Associates, and the University of North Carolina Sheps Center representing a national cohort of rural hospitals. Notes financial stability for affiliated and independent hospitals as well as policy interventions to support hospitals at risk of closure.
Author(s): H. Joanna Jiang, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, Rachel Mosher Henke
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 3(7), e221835
Date: 07/2022
view details
Co-located Critical Access & Behavioral Health Hospital: Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital and Appalachian Regional Behavioral Hospital
Profiles Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) in western North Carolina. Describes how ARHS secured an exemption from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to build Appalachian Regional Behavioral Health (ARBH) Hospital nearby without losing CAH status. Discusses the impact of the CMS exemption on financial sustainability and emergency department wait times.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
The Economic Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
Examines the impact of a rural hospital closure on local economic outcomes. Compares economic changes in nonmetro counties experiencing a hospital closure between 2001 and 2018 to changes in a control group of nonmetro counties. Presents data on the effects of rural hospital closures on annual income, population size, unemployment, and labor force size overall and by closure type and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and Prospective Payment System (PPS) status.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Arrianna Marie Planey, Laura B. Bozovich, Kristie W. Thompson, George M. Holmes
Citation: Health Services Research, 57(3), 614-623
Date: 06/2022
view details
Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration in Rural Health Facilities: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of the prevalence of mental illness and substance use disorders in rural areas. Discusses the role of rural primary care providers in treating these conditions. Outlines federal programs and resources to support behavioral health and primary care integration. Offers policy recommendations related to access to care; workforce recruitment and retention; telehealth, technology, and broadband; and reimbursement and sustainable revenue.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Leadership Fundamentals Video Series: Surviving and Thriving as a New Leader
A 6-part video series for new rural health leaders transitioning to a supervisor or manager role. Covers building organizational awareness; managing performance; communication, conflict, and difficult conversations; leading change; and team engagement. Training modules include interviews with rural health leaders, discussion questions, suggested activities to support learning, and supplemental resources.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
view details
Community Impact and Benefit Activities of Critical Access, Other Rural, and Urban Hospitals, 2020
Examines the economic and healthcare benefit of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) on rural communities. Looks at services provided, the economic health of CAHs, and the effect this has on their communities broadly. Includes comparisons of community benefit and patient care services indicators provided by CAHs and other rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, John Gale
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
view details
Costs of Evidence-Based Early Childhood Home Visiting: Results from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation
Examines how resources are allocated at Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program-funded local home visiting programs. Estimates the costs for each family served in Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) and how these costs differ across families, local programs, and evidence-based models. Includes data comparing programs that serve only metropolitan, only nonmetropolitan, and both types of counties.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details
Rural Illinois in Numbers: Content-Valid Indicators for Governance
Reports on quality of life (QOL) measures in Illinois such as economic conditions, access to healthcare, educational attainment, crime rates, and more. Includes metro versus nonmetro comparisons using data spanning from 2000 to 2020.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
view details
The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM): Second Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluates the second year of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), an initiative designed to test if global budgets can help rural hospitals improve their financial viability, provide flexibility to meet locally defined community health needs, and reduce overall healthcare spending. Provides an overview of the model and describes the implementation experience of participating hospitals and payers. Presents a descriptive quantitative assessment of financial performance, spending and utilization, access to care, and quality of care outcomes during the second performance year.
Additional links: Appendix, Findings at a Glance
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details
Answering The Call: 988 - A New Vision for Crisis Response
Discuss three areas important to implementing the 988 mental health crisis response number and behavioral health crisis response: interagency collaboration, the behavioral health workforce, and financing. Offers policy recommendations for developing a comprehensive crisis response system. Discusses rural considerations and challenges throughout.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
view details