Rural hospitals are suffering and it is scary to those of small communities who rely on them for health care. Studies show that they are closing at a rapid rate because they just don’t have the funds. Read more below on these closings and how people are coming up with solutions for this concerning issue. nnMore than 20% of rural hospitals are at a “high risk of closing” due to wobbly finances, a Navigant analysis of publicly available data shows.nnThe study, released Wednesday, also shows that 64% of these at-risk rural hospitals are considered essential to the health and economic well-being of their communities.nnThe analysis examines the financial viability and community essentiality of more than 2,000 rural hospitals nationwide. It found that 21% of the rural hospitals are at high risk of closing based on their total operating margin, days cash on hand, and debt-to-capitalization ratio. This equates to 430 hospitals across 43 states that employ 150,000 people.nn”Our analysis shines a new light on a rural hospital crisis that must be addressed and could significantly worsen with any downturn in the economy,” study co-author David Mosley, managing director at Navigant, said in a media release.nn”Local, state, and federal politicians, as well as health system administrators, need to act,” he said.nnThe study also reviewed of the “community essentiality” of these cash-strapped rural hospitals, measuring factors such as trauma status, service to vulnerable populations, geographic isolation, and economic impact.nnThey determined that 64% or 277 of these hospitals are considered essential to their community’s health and economic well-being. In 31 states, at least half of these financially distressed rural hospitals are considered essential.nnSouthern and Midwestern states, including Mississippi, Alabama, Kansas, Georgia, and Minnesota, are projected to be impacted the most, the data shows.nnThe study blamed “multiple factors” for the ongoing crisis with rural hospitals, including low rural population growth, payer mix degradation, excess hospital capacity due to declining inpatient care, and an inability for hospitals to leverage technology due to a lack of capital.nnOne possible solution involves collaborations between rural hospitals and academic and regional health systems, that leverages the larger systems’ resources for telehealth, revenue cycle management, human capital, electronic health records, physician training, and clinical optimization.nnThe study also supports supporting legislation that advances telehealth reimbursements, such as the bipartisan Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital (REACH) Act.nnReintroduced in 2017 by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Cory Gardner, R-Colo., the REACH Act would create a new Medicare classification under which rural hospitals would offer emergency and outpatient services but no longer have inpatient beds.n
“OUR ANALYSIS SHINES A NEW LIGHT ON A RURAL HOSPITAL CRISIS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED AND COULD SIGNIFICANTLY WORSEN WITH ANY DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY.” DAVID MOSLEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT NAVIGANT.
nOriginal article posted on Healthleadersmedia.com.