Research Alert: October 19, 2023

Rural Emergency Hospital Map and Data

Responding to concerns about access to health care due to rural hospital closures, Congress passed legislation establishing a new rural provider category—Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH). Effective January 1, 2023, hospitals that meet specified criteria are eligible to convert to an REH. Eligible hospitals include Critical Access Hospitals and hospitals with 50 beds or less that are located in a rural area as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, or a hospital with 50 beds or less that is re-classified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as rural.

The North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center now provides REH data and a map on its website. Data available for download include: REH name, address, city, state, previous Medicare Payment Type, and REH participation date. The Center will continue to track new REHs and any REH status changes, making updates to the website as they occur.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
• More information about the Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guide: Rural Emergency Hospitals