Daily Yonder, Rural Blog highlight value of rural hospitals
“Rural hospitals have the potential to augment regional integrated delivery systems to ensure rural residents receive the right care in the right place at the right price,” reported The Daily Yonder earlier this week. Despite rural Americans having less access to primary care and faring worse than their urban counterparts, small rural hospitals nationally have equal or better quality outcomes, and cost 3.7% less per Medicare beneficiary than their urban counterparts according to a study published by iVantage Health Analytics. Federal investments in rural health care have significant benefits to the rural patient and tax payer, according to the report. Vital rural hospital programs like the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) designation and the Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) adjustment are examples of the benefits of targeted, effective government action but will expire Oct. 1 if action is not taken. Expiration will mean over 200 MDHs will lose millions of dollars, causing many facilities to reduce services, or worse, close doors, resulting in a devastating impact on rural seniors across the nation. Their continuation is critical to patients and providers. Join NRHA on July 30-31 in Washington, D.C. for the March of Rural Hospitals to protect funding for rural hospitals across the country. Visit our March for Rural Hospitals Action Kit and register for this free event. For media reports on how rural hospitals provide better value, visit The Daily Yonder and The Rural Blog.