Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health

Research Products & Journal Articles

Browse the full list of research publications from this Rural Health Research Center.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

2023

Community Sociodemographics and Rural Hospital Survival Analysis
Policy Brief
Date: 01/2023
This study examines which community sociodemographic characteristics are associated with increased risk of rural hospital closure between 2010-2019. Results show that rural hospitals at risk of financial distress are more likely to experience closure if their communities have higher unemployment and higher uninsurance for those under 65.

2022

Community Sociodemographics and Rural Hospital Survival
Journal Article
Date: 12/2022
This study examines whether community sociodemographic factors are associated with the survival or closure of rural hospitals at risk of financial distress between 2010 and 2019.
Review of Rural U.S. Economic and Health Care Trends
Report
Date: 09/2022
This report reviews recent literature and publicly available data to explore important issues at the nexus of health care and local economic vibrancy. The report also explores the economic implications associated with COVID-19, however full impacts will not be known for several years.
County-Level Availability of Obstetric Care and Economic Implications of Hospital Closures on Obstetric Care
Policy Brief
Date: 07/2022
This policy brief draws out demographic and economic differences between counties with obstetric care facilities and those without. It provides descriptive data on the economic changes underway in counties that lost obstetric care facilities between 2012 and 2019.
Higher Electronic Health Record Functionality Is Associated With Lower Operating Costs in Urban—but Not Rural—Hospitals
Journal Article
Date: 07/2022
This study examines the relationship between electronic health record use/functionality and hospital operating costs and compares the results across rural and urban facilities.

2021

Higher Electronic Health Record (EHR) Functionality Lowers Urban Hospital Costs but Rural Impacts Are Minimal
Policy Brief
Date: 09/2021
Increases in Electronic Health Records (EHRs) functionality are associated with reductions in total hospital costs, driven mainly by lower outpatient costs. However, improvements in EHR functionality do not seem to significantly reduce costs for rural hospitals.