Financial Incentives for Rural Hospitals to Expand the Scope of Their Services

Date
06/2002
Description

This paper examines the financial incentives that rural hospitals have to conduct surgery and treat more complex medical conditions. The objective is to evaluate whether rural hospitals that offer broader services are more profitable than hospitals with very limited inpatient services. A low-volume adjustment considered by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commissions (MedPAC) is discussed.

Center
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Authors
Jeffrey Stensland, Michelle Brasure, Ira Moscovice, Tiffany Radcliff