Hospitals and clinics

Research Findings

View publications, including policy briefs, working papers, and journal articles, on Hospitals and clinics:

Recaps

View one-page summary Recaps of key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers on Hospitals and clinics:

  • Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
    Date: 12/2017
    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.
  • Post-Acute Care in Rural Areas: The Role of Swing Beds and Nursing Homes
    Date: 03/2024
    Patients who have received acute care services, but are not ready to safely return home, may transition to post-acute care (PAC). The PAC phase acts as a bridge between the hospital and the next steps to recovery. This Recap examines the roles that swing beds and nursing homes have in PAC.
  • Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals
    Date: 01/2019
    This Rural Health Research Recap looks at hospital quality-of-care measures and the difficulties of developing quality measures, especially for rural hospitals with low patient volumes.
  • Quality Star Ratings: Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Home Health Agencies
    Date: 03/2024
    In 2021, 41.6% of rural hospitals lacked an overall quality star rating compared to only 12.0% of urban hospitals. The absence of a star rating may be misinterpreted by patients as an indicator of low-quality care. This Recap examines star ratings among hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies.
  • Rural Hospital Closures
    Date: 12/2017
    From January 2005 through early November 2017, 124 rural hospitals closed in the U.S. This Recap, one of two, provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on hospital closures.
  • Rural Hospital Closures: 2023 Update
    Date: 06/2023
    From 2005 through 2022, 186 rural hospitals either closed completely or converted to facilities that no longer provide in-patient care. This Recap explores the current state of rural hospital closures in the United States.
  • Rural Obstetric Services: Access, Workforce, and Impact
    Date: 04/2019
    This resource presents current hospital-based obstetric closure rates and characteristics of rural communities without and losing obstetric services, as well as the impact of limited access on maternal and child health.

Webinars

Access information on upcoming or archived webinars on Hospitals and clinics.

Projects on this Topic

Learn more about the research questions guiding each study, the lead researcher for each, and when the Research Center anticipates releasing completed product(s) under each project.