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Rural Hospitals – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hospitals.

A National Staffing Emergency in Rural Health Care
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with three rural hospital executives from Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan regarding workforce shortages in rural hospitals. Describes factors driving workforce challenges; recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies; approaches to introducing healthcare careers to youth and the community; and the role of technology in meeting healthcare needs.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Hospital Cost Tool
Interactive tool providing information on how much hospitals spend on patient care services, how costs relate to the hospital charges, and actual prices paid by health plans. Presents data on a range of measures for hospital revenue, costs, profitability, and break-even points for over 5,000 hospitals nationwide between 2011 and 2022. Includes the ability to view and compare hospital financial metrics at the hospital, state, and health system levels.
Additional links: Hospital Cost Tool and Resources
Date: 12/2023
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Medicare Advantage in Rural Areas: Implications for Hospital Sustainability
Explores the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration levels in rural areas and acute care hospital financial distress and closure between 2008 and 2019. Analyzes data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 14 states to describe rural acute care hospitals with low and high MA penetration.
Author(s): Rachel Mosher Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, H. Joanna Jiang
Citation: American Journal of Managed Care, 29(11), 594–600
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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A Comparison of Non-Operating Revenue between Rural and Urban Hospitals
Compares the relative percentage and composition of non-operating revenue (NOR) among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), rural Prospective Payment System (R-PPS) hospitals, and urban Prospective Payment System (U-PPS) hospitals from 2011-2019. Describes how hospitals can use NOR to offset negative operating incomes. Presents data on the composition of NOR by hospital type and ownership.
Author(s): Ariana Pitcher, Ruoyu Zhang, Susie Gurzenda, George Pink, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Trends in Patient Perceptions of Care Toward Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States: 2014-2019
Examines patients' perceptions of care in hospitals located in urban, rural non-frontier and remote (FAR), and FAR areas. Analyzes 2014-2019 data from 6,964 hospitals to rate patients' perceptions of their quality of care, considering factors such as quietness and cleanliness of hospital, communication with healthcare staff, discharge information, care transition, and willingness to recommend hospital.
Author(s): Zhong Li, Vivian Ho, Melinda A. Merrell, Peiyin Hung
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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The Impact of Rural General Hospital Closures on Communities—A Systematic Review of the Literature
Presents a literature review of studies on the health and economic effects hospital closures have had on rural communities. Analyzes 21 studies completed in the previous 8 years and details the economic and healthcare access outcomes identified.
Author(s): Carol A. Mills, Valerie A. Yeager, Kathleen T. Unroe, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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The Future of Rural Hospitals and Health Systems
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with Joanne Conroy, M.D., Dartmouth Health president and CEO and the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees' chair-elect. Explores the future of rural hospitals and health systems and possible solutions to providing quality, cost-efficient care in rural communities.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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First-Ever Rural Physician and Advanced Practice Provider Compensation Survey
Recording of an October 11, 2023, webinar discussing results of a January 2023 survey of rural hospitals regarding physician and advanced-practice provider compensation. Presents results for primary care and specialty care providers by provider type, hospital system affiliation, and region. Highlights factors that influence compensation and nurse practitioner practice environments by state. Transcript available in the video description.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 10/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Association, Stroudwater Associates
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Tax-Exempt Hospitals Provided Nearly $130 Billion in Total Benefits to Their Communities: Results from 2020 Tax-Exempt Hospitals' Schedule H Community Benefit Reports
Summarizes the benefits nonprofit hospitals provide their communities based on an analysis of IRS Form 990 Schedule H. Addresses the percent spent on financial assistance, health professions education, community building activities, and other categories included on Schedule H. Includes data for rural and Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2021 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Last Updated: 2/5/2024