Rural Hospitals – News
News stories from the past 60 days.
Jan 20, 2023 - UPMC Lock Haven Hospital in rural Clinton County, Pennsylvania will eliminate regular hospital beds but continue providing emergency care as a new type of facility called an "outpatient emergency department." Conversion is expected to be complete by April 20, and after that patients who need hospitalization will need to go to facilities 20 or 30 minutes away.
Source: PennLive Patriot-News
Jan 20, 2023 - Arkansas House Bill 1127, or the Rural Emergency Hospital Act, would give the Arkansas Department of Health authority to license hospitals as "Rural Emergency Hospitals." This designation would allow qualifying rural hospitals to be reimbursed at a higher rate for outpatient services and procedures, and would support acute care emergency care in communities where other types of care might not be available.
Source: KAIT8
Jan 12, 2023 - A new report from the Colorado Hospital Association notes that expenses for Colorado hospitals have risen, COVID-19 relief funding is ending, and patient days and length of stay are on the rise. All of these factors contribute to a financial struggle for over half the state's hospitals, including 27 in rural areas.
Source: 9News
Jan 11, 2023 - Examines challenges faced in continuing to provide healthcare in the rural community of Mexico, Missouri after the local hospital closed last fall. Includes U.S. map showing numbers of rural hospital closures by state since 2005.
Source: Nebraska Public Media
Jan 10, 2023 - Describes experiences of Western Carolina University nursing students enrolled in the RNs in Primary Care project. This is a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded program geared toward exposing nursing students and nurses to primary care-focused practice and helping them build skills in care coordination.
Source: Western Carolina University
Jan 9, 2023 - Announces that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded the first 200 of 1,000 Medicare-funded physician residency slots to 100 teaching hospitals across 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. One hundred twenty-five of the residency slots are allocated for primary care, including obstetrics/gynecology, and 20 slots are allocated for psychiatry.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Jan 6, 2023 - Announces new officers and committee members for the 2023 American Hospital Association (AHA) Rural Health Services Committee. The committee represents the AHA's small, rural and Critical Access Hospital members by participating in advocacy and development of policy and resources, with a focus on strategic opportunities.
Source: American Hospital Association
Jan 5, 2023 - Describes steps taken by Mee Memorial Hospital in King City, California to ensure that primary care services continued to be offered throughout the pandemic. Many laid-off staff members have since returned, OB/GYN services are once again available on a limited basis, and there are plans for expansion of the emergency and diagnostic imaging departments.
Source: Monterey County NOW
Jan 5, 2023 - Reports that 10 rural Georgia hospitals have each received a $50,000 donation from the Georgia Heart Hospital Program. The program was created to help rural hospitals by increasing their funding and their ability to provide healthcare.
Source: WALB News
Jan 4, 2023 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the November 23, 2022, final rule. This correction is effective January 1, 2023.
Source: Federal Register
Last Updated: 1/23/2023