Changes in Access to Community Health Services Among Rural Areas Affected and Unaffected by Hospital Closures Between 2006 and 2018: A Comparative Interrupted Time Series Study

Date
07/2022
Journal
Journal of Rural Health
Description

Investigators compared access to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) by those in rural areas affected versus those in rural areas unaffected by hospital closures. Data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Cecil G. Sheps Center, and the American Community Survey were linked and constructed at the ZIP code level. Distances were calculated to the nearest hospital, FQHC, and RHC for the years 2006 through 2018.

Center
Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Authors
Nathaniel Bell, Peiyin Hung, Melinda Merrell, Elizabeth Crouch, Jan Eberth