Healthcare DIVE August 7, 2024
One challenge hospitals face is reimbursement from private payers, which doesn’t cover the higher costs of care in rural areas, according to the report.
Dive Brief:
- More than 700 rural hospitals, over 30% of all such providers in the country, are at risk of closing as they face financial losses on patient care, limited sources of other revenue and low financial reserves, according to a report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.
- The outlook is even more dire for some rural facilities: 360 are at immediate risk of closing within two to three years due to their severe financial problems.
- Rural hospitals’ financial challenges are largely caused by “inadequate” payments from private health plans that...