Effects of Rural Hospital Closures

Link	View Research Recap
Date	12/2017
Description	From January 2005 through early November 2017, 124 rural hospitals closed in the U.S. This Recap, two of two, provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on the effects of these closures.
Topics	Hospitals and clinics, Public health

Rural Health Research Products Included in this Recap

• After Hospital Closure: Pursuing High Performance Rural Health Systems Without Inpatient Care
  RUPRI Health Panel: Rural Policy Analysis and Applications
  Date: 06/2017
  A new paper describing opportunities for rural communities to develop a high performance rural health system after hospital closure, including three case studies that describe real-world transitions from hospital-based locus of care to new models of care delivery in rural places.
• Closure of Hospital Obstetric Services Disproportionately Affects Less-Populated Counties
  Policy Brief
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2017
  This policy brief describes the scope of obstetric unit and hospital closures resulting in loss of obstetric services in rural U.S. counties from 2004 to 2014.
• A Comparison of Closed Rural Hospitals and Perceived Impact
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 04/2015
  This policy brief compares selected characteristics of abandoned rural hospitals and their markets to those of converted rural hospitals.
• Do Current Medicare Rural Hospital Payment Systems Align With Cost Determinants?
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 02/2015
  To inform policy discussions on how complex current payment models may affect rural hospitals, the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program studied differences in financial condition among rural hospitals and important determinants of differences in rural hospital costs.
• State Variability in Access to Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural U.S. Counties
  Policy Brief
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2017
  This policy brief describes state-level variations in 1) the availability of hospital-based obstetric services, and 2) the scope of obstetric unit and hospital closures resulting in the loss of obstetric services in rural U.S. counties from 2004 to 2014.
• Trends in Risk of Financial Distress Among Rural Hospitals
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 10/2016
  From January 2005 to July 2016, 118 rural hospitals have closed permanently, and the rate of rural hospital closures is increasing. Hospital closures impact millions of rural residents. Identifying hospitals at high risk of closure and assessing the trends over time may inform strategies to prevent or mitigate the effects of closures.